





























. 









How to Visit Europe 
on Next to Nothing 



By the Same Author 

Common-Sense Series 

french for daily use. 
german for daily use. 
japanese for daily use. 

in preparation 

italian for daily use. 
spanish for daily use. 



How to Visit Europe 
on Next to Nothing 



With Memoranda of Actual 
Expenses, Coinage Tables, etc. 



BY 

PRENTYS 



:. p. p] 




NEW YORK 

DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 

1912 









Copyright, 1908, by 
THE VOGUE COMPANY 

Copyright, 1912, by 
E. P. PRENTYS 

Published, May, 1912 



THE LlBftAi&i 
OF COHGRESSJ 

WASHINGTON 



^ 



©CI.A314394 



PREFACE 

Most people want to go to Europe, I 
amongst the number. But almost everybody 
seems to think that a European tour is neces- 
sarily expensive. Of course it may be so; 
but I have faith that with common sense, 
some knowledge, and a minimum supply of 
dollars, a splendid vacation of eight weeks 
in length, or more, may be enjoyed upon the 
other side at a very small cost indeed. 

I am now going to prove this to unbeliev- 
ing friends and intend to set out with three 
hundred dollars in my pocket and a stern 
resolution not to exceed this amount by one 
cent. I have talked my scheme over with 
Comrade, who, dazzled by my mention of 
continental resorts, Paris, London and a 
score or more other places has agreed to 
accompany me. This will lessen the cost, 
in a way, as we shall share rooms, carriages, 



vi Preface 

etc., but for the sake of others, who will 
assuredly follow where I lead, I shall put 
down the expenses as one person, doing the 
same things alone, would find them. 

In order to refute the insinuations of scof- 
fers I am going to keep strict accounts, enter- 
ing in this, my diary, every dollar I spend, 
as well as all my joys, together with such in- 
formation as will enable other adventurous 
souls to follow in my footsteps. 

My intentions are to travel comfortably, 
but not luxuriously, to avoid the hostelries 
and vehicles patronised by millionaires. 
I cannot compete with them in the tips 
they shower (if I would have money 
left for my own enjoyment) and so see 
instead of liveried servants, the real life of 
the people and everything of true interest in 
the countries I visit. 

The greater number of the sketches in this 
little book appeared serially in Vogue, and 
it is with the consent of the Vogue Publish- 
ing Company, that these are now reissued 
in book form. 



COINAGE TABLES 



English American 

I halfpenny (or 2 farthings) ==i cent (or "penny.") 
I penny 2 cents, 

i shilling (or 12 pence) = 1 quarter (lit. the shill- 
ing is worth 24 cents.) 
1 florin = 50 cents. 

Half a crown 60 (and 2) cents. 

1 pound (or sovereign) 5 dollars (less 20 cents.) 

scale : 
English: — 4 farthings=i penny. 12 pence=i shilling. 

20 shillings=i pound. 
American: — 100 cents=i dollar. 

English French 

1 halfpenny (or 2 farthings )=i sou (or 5 centimes). 
1 penny =10 centimes. 

1 shilling =1 franc 20 (or 120 cen- 

times). 
1 florin =2 francs 40 centimes. 

Half a crown =3 francs. 

I pound (or 20 shillings) =25 francs. 

scale : 
English: — 4 farthings=i penny. 12 pence=i shilling. 

20 shillings=i pound. 
French: — 100 centimes (or 20 sous=i franc. 100 francs 
=1 louis. 

vii 



viii Coinage Tables 

English Norwegian, 

i halfpenny (or 2 farthings) =Z 2 A p're. 

1 penny =7^ p're. 

1 shilling (or 12 pence) =90 p're. 

2 shillings (1 florin) =1 Krone 80 o're. 
Half a crown =2 Krone 25 0re. 
1 pound (20 shillings) =18 Krone. 

20 pounds =360 Krone. 

scale : 
English: — 4 farthings— 1 penny. 12 pence=i shilling. 

20 shilling=i pound. 
Norwegian: — 100 plre=i Krone. 

American. English. 

1 cent 1 halfpenny (or 2 farthings). 

25 cents 1 shilling (and a Yz penny) . 

fA florin (and a penny) 

50 cents \2 shillings (and a penny) . 

I dollar 4 shillings (and 2 pence). 

5 dollars 1 pound (and 10 pence). 

100 dollars 20 pounds (and 16/8). 

500 dollars 1 hundred pounds (and £34) . 

scale : 
American: — 100 cents=i dollar. 

English:— 4 farthings=i penny. 12 pence=i shilling. 
20 shilling=i pound. 

American. French 

1 cent 1 sou (or 5 centimes). 

25 cents 1 franc 25 centimes. 

50 cents 2 francs 50 centimes. 

1 dollar 5 francs. 

5 dollars 25 francs (or 1 louis and 5 

francs) 



Coinage Tables ix 

ioo dollars 500 (and 4) francs. 

500 dollars 2500 (and 20 francs) or 

500 (and 1) louis. 

scale : 
American: — 100 cents=i dollar. 
French:— 100 centimes=i franc 20 francs=i louis. 

American Norwegian 

1 cent zY 2 0re 

25 cents 90 p're 

50 cents 1 krone 

I dollar 3 krone 60 0re 

5 dollars 80 p're 

100 dollars 360 krone. 

500 dollars 1800 krone. 

scale : 
American: — 100 cents to the dollar. 
Norwegian :— 100 jzfre to the krone. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Intentions as to Cost, Mode of Travel- 
ling, Baggage, Insurance, Route, 
Right Tips, Details Which Make 
for Personal Comfort on the Way, 
etc. Memorandum of Expenses . i 
II. First Day on the Continent, Arrival in 
London, Hotels and Necessary Ar- 
rangements to Make in Regard to 
Landing — Memorandum of Ex- 
penses ii 

III. Securing London Lodgings, Advantages 

of Certain Districts, General View 
of the City, with a Hint of the 
Romance of It — Where to Dine, 
English Method of Collecting Bag- 
gage, and Transference of all Be- 
longings to Temporary Abode . . 24 

IV. Beginning of Sightseeing — The River, 

Tower, Monument, Academy, Pic- 
ture Galleries — Method of Obtain- 
ing Admission to Those not Gener- 
ally Open, Museums — Also a Brief 
Mention of Historic Places That 

Must not be Omitted 34 

V. Arrangements for Letters, Whitehall, 
Methods of Transportation, St. 
Paul's, West-minster Abbey, and 
Cathedral, Parks, Palaces, Note- 
worthy Buildings and Houses, a 
General Account of the Restau- 
rants, Tea Shops and Little-known 
French Cafes, etc., Which Those 
Wishing to Make a Moderate 
Amount of Money Go a Long Way, 
Can Patronise to Advantage — Mem- 
orandum of Expenses 44 

xi 



xii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

VI. The Environs of London, Hampton 
Court, Kew, Richmond, Epping For- 
est, Greenwich and an Excursion 
to Windsor and Eton, with Costs 
and Ways of Going — Memorandum 

of Expenses 55 

VII. Stratford-on-Avon and How to Get 
There — The Dual Deities — Hints 
on Seeing Kenilworth, Woodstock 

of Blenheim 67 

VIII. The Glory of Oxford ; Its Colleges and 
Churches, Spacious Quadrangles 
and Winding Back Waters — Stu- 
dent Lodgings and How We Found 
Them— History Incarnate— Memo- 
randum of Expenses 74 

IX. English Watering Places— The Charms 
of Brighton Rival Charms of Hove, 
Rottingdean, Worthing and New- 
haven — Cycling Excursions in Lon- 
don-by-the-Sea — The Pavilion and 
Memories of George the Fourth — 
Memorandum of Expenses ... 80 
X. Belgium and How to Get There— Os- 
tend, Its Fascination and the 
Sharp Contrast of Bruges and 
Ghent — Namur, Dinant, the Woods 
and Rivers of the Ardennes — The 
Famous Subterranean River and 
Grotto de Han — An Unexpected 
Venture Into the Bowels of the 
Earth — Memorandum of Expenses . 91 

XI. Brussels— The Field of Waterloo with 
Its Monument and Historic Farms 
and Chateaux — Antwerp, a Hint 
of Its Glories and a Warning to 
Others to Stay Longer Than We 
Did, with Methods of Lodging One's 
Self Comfortably (Without Undue 
Expense) in a Foreign City— Mem- 
orandum of Expenses 104 

XII. Daring Projects— Further Afield— En 
Route for the Riviera — Least Ex- 



CONTENTS xiii 

CHAPTER PAGE 

pensive and most convenient 
Routes — Need of Police Notification 
— A Stop-over at Rouen, the City of 
Churches — The Irony of the Re- 
habilitation of the " Maid of Or- 
leans," and the Human Tragedy of 
Her Life — Memorandum of Ex- 
penses 115 

XIII. In France — " Conseils Pratique " — 

Hotels and Their Inquisitorial Pa- 
pers — Latin Quarter Hints, Stu- 
dents, Hostelries, Clubs and Res- 
taurants — French Tipping Rule — 
"Tip Often but Tip Little" — 
Rules Regarding Omnibuses . . 126 

XIV. The Joys of Paris ; What to See ; Napo- 

leon's Tomb, the Louvre, Luxem- 
bourg, Notre Dame, Ste. Chapelle, 
the Conciergerie — Prison of Tragic 
Memories — The Markets and 
Boulevards — Versailles and When 
to Go There, St. Cloud, and the 
Absolute Necessity of Seeing It; 
River Excursion Thereto, with Tea 
in the Chalet at the End of It — 
Memorandum of Expenses ... 136 
XV. Monte Carlo — Pensions, Hotels and 
Restaurants, Rooms, Prices and 
Localities — The Casino and How 
to Obtain Entrance Thereto — 
"The Man Who Broke the Bank 
at Monte Carlo" — Our Determina- 
tion to Rival Him and the Result — 
Concerts, Operas, Various Enter- 
tainments — Legends and Supersti- 
tions of the Place 145 

XVI. On the Cote d'Azur— Mentone, Nice, 
and the Carnivals — Fishing Vil- 
lages, Mountain Walking Tours, 
and an Excursion Over the Bor- 
der Into Italy — A Casting of Ac- 
counts — Return to London — Total 
Memorandum of Expenses . . . 156 



XIV CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XVII. An Unexpected Windfall — Wild De- 
sires, Much Discussion of Many 
Possibilities and a Supplementary 
Cruise — Hints as to Clothes 
Requisite for a Comfortable Jour- 
ney to the Land of the Midnight 
Sun — Arrival at Norway . . . 168 
XVIII. First Glimpses of Norwegian Wonders — 
The Buken Fjord — The Bondhus 
Glacier — Cliffs, Mountains and 
Lakes — Our Anchorage at Sun- 
dal — A Norwegian Flower Decked 
Glen — The Foglefond — One of the 
Finest Snow Fields in Europe — 
Merry Gatherings About the Gypsy 
Fire — Walks and Scrambles . . 174 

XIX. Down the Fjords — Vik — The Hardan- 
ger — Norwegian Ravines — An In- 
troduction to Stolljaerres— A Road 
Blasted from the Living Rock — 
sombreness of the scenery — op- 
PRESSIVE Sense of Tragedy — The 
Marvel of the Voringfos Water- 
fall, with Its Stupendous Leap . 181 
XX. A Norwegian Town — Bergen, One of 
the Surprises of Norway — Attrac- 
tion of the Shops— What to Buy — 
Embroidery Filigree Silver, Carv- 
ings, Furs, etc. — What to See— 
The Open-Air Fish Market, Tower 
and Church — Then a Thousand 
Feet Climb for a View Inland and 
Outward to the North Sea — The 
Inner Lead — A Sail Beyond De- 
scription 188 

XXI. Scenes on the Way — National Cos- 
tumes of the Girls— A Drive Along 
the Margin of the Sandven Lake — 
The Twin Waterfalls of the Lote- 
fos and skaarsfos — aalsund 
Dutch-like and Modern— Molde— A 
Norwegian Health Resort . . . 194 



CONTENTS xv 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XXII. The Village of Naes — The Valley of 
the Witches and the Romsdal- 
horn — Down the Wonderful Geir- 

anger Fjord 201 

XXIII. From Oie to Haugen — On by Yacht to 
Tosse — Thence by Stolljaerre — 
Overland to Norheimsund, the 
Longest and Most Unforgettable 
Drive of All — A Last View of the 
Wonderland of Norway — Memoran- 
dum of Accounts for Entire Cruise 207 



How to Visit Europe 
on Next to Nothing 



CHAPTER I 

Intentions as to Cost, Mode of Travelling, Baggage, 
Insurance, Route, Right Tips, Details Which 
Make for Personal Comfort on the Way etc. — 
Memorandum of Expenses. 

Everything is decided, the first steps have 
been taken, the first money expended and the 
first tickets bought. Of course, the primary 
consideration has been the line and boat. It 
must be remembered that fares are slightly 
higher on the Atlantic between May and Au- 
gust. However, this is offset when one gets 
to the European side, as summer vacation 
tours are in full force. Of course, the 
earlier a decision is made the greater is the 
choice regarding location of cabin, but it is 
always possible to obtain accommodation of 
a kind even at the last moment, sometimes 
the better for the waiting, as frequently 
tickets are returned almost on the eve of sail- 
ing. This is a fact, despite what is said to 
the contrary. The people who find it diffi- 



2 How to Visit Europe 

cult to obtain a passage are the millionaires 
who want special suites, or the freaks who 
insist upon having a certain number of inches 
between the head of the bunk and the state 
room partition. There are people who can- 
not cross the Atlantic for less than three or 
five hundred dollars. It is possible to do it 
comfortably for $40 or $45, including tips 
and incidental expenses, though, of course, 
not on the largest or fastest ships afloat. 

I spent all my spare time for a week going 
over the " descriptive literature " issued by 
the various shipping companies and dis- 
covered a surprising uniformity of price 
among them, if second class on a first class 
steamer is reckoned as equivalent to first class 
on a second rate (which usually means older) 
boat. 

Of course the locality of the passenger's 
home must be taken into account when the 
selection of a point of departure is made, 
but, other things being equal, it is far pleas- 
anter to go by a " one class ship " than or- 
dinary second, and, if the maximum amount 



On Next to Nothing 3 

of pleasure is to be obtained for a minimum 
expense, a first class passage must cer- 
tainly be foregone. 

There is a good choice of " one class 
boats " sailing from Montreal to Glasgow, 
and London by way of Le Havre, and Liver- 
pool, or direct. The Allan, Dominion and 

Canadian Pacific liners are all worth con- 

v 
sidering. If one wishes to travel in Scot- 
land, the cheapest route from Boston to 
Glasgow is by Allan or Anchor lines. The 
rate is $35 eastward and $40 westward sin- 
gle, or $71 return. If London is to be 
made the headquarters, a direct boat is, 
without doubt, the best, and quite as inex- 
pensive when the railroad fare from Glas- 
gow to London is added, for even third- 
class — a class used in England by everybody 
save dukes, colonials and American million- 
aires — the fare is $6.25. 

After due weighing of the pros and cons I 
chose the good ship " Parisian " of the Al- 
lan Line of Royal Mail Steamers and 
counted that I had made a clear sav- 



4 How to Visit Europe 

ing of two weeks' board and lodging, for 
she is a twelve to fourteen day boat from 
Montreal! The fare each way is $40. If 
a return ticket be taken $75 pays for the 
round trip, with the privilege of returning 
by another route over the same line. This 
line delivers passengers either at the Com- 
mercial Docks, London, or transfers them 
to a train at Gravesend or Tilbury, sending 
them by train to Fenchurch St., which is de- 
cidedly more convenient, being in the heart 
of the city and hotel-land, whereas most 
companies end their responsibility at sea- 
ports, such as Southampton or Plymouth, 
and a further payment, of $1.49 or $5.75 
respectively, has to be made before London 
is reached. 

The only disadvantage of travelling from 
Montreal is the prevalence of fog around the 
banks of Newfoundland. In compensation for 
this there are the beauties of the St. Lawrence 
and the amazingly calm sea. Comrade and 
I enjoyed every moment of the way except 
during the foggy period when the whistle 



On Next to Nothing 5 

moaned its warnings at one minute intervals 
for some thirty-six hours, and there was a 
constant fear of running down another ship 
or of a collision with an iceberg. Still, even 
then there were wonderful pictures when the 
fog lifted suddenly for the apparent purpose 
of displaying a fleet of red-sailed fishing 
boats, or a big sailing ship, drifting silently 
across our bows. 

One stipulation, and one only, did I make 
with Comrade and that was, that baggage 
(from the date of sailing to be called " lug- 
gage ") should be limited to one suit case 
and one trunk apiece. Excess baggage is a 
bore and an expense. The main secret of 
happy travel is to go with little impedimenta, 
which means, that except for a stand-by 
trunk to act as a kind of reservoir, you 
should take only what you can carry in one 
hand. Wear a hat that a sprinkle of rain 
will not hurt and pack your umbrella, or, 
better still, leave it behind, and let buoyancy 
of spirit carry you through the few showers 
you will encounter. But remember this, in 



6 How to Visit Europe 

your preparations, whatever the season, if 
will be cold upon the Atlantic. Wear your 
thickest winter suit, take a steamer rug, and, 
if possible, a hot water bag. 

As for clothes, the less you decide you can 
do with the better, for things on the other 
side are marvellously cheap, and, as a rule, 
somewhat different in fashion. It is a good 
plan to secure insurance for baggage, for 
then anxiety concerning the possible loss of 
it is lessened. Insurance can be effected 
through the German firm of Mannheim's at 
the moderate rate of $2 for a $200 policy, 
covering very fully the loss by damage or 
theft. The principal agents in America are 
F. Herrman, Manager of the United States 
Branch of the Mannheim Insurance Com- 
pany, New York City, and Orr and Wall, 
Chicago. If personal insurance is desired, 
a tourist's policy for $2500 can be obtained 
from Cook and Sons for $2.50 or $5.00, 
covering a period of one to three months. 

If possible, only luggage that can be stowed 
in the stateroom should be taken, otherwise 



On Next to Nothing 7 

tiresome delays will ensue. This must be 
labelled " Wanted " in addition to your ini- 
tials and the name of the ship, and bonded 
through to the docks to save trouble with the 
customs. It must then be identified before 
being sent to the cabin. 

The first step, after unpacking and arrang- 
ing one's belongings conveniently, is to secure 
accommodation at the table next to your 
chosen travelling companion, and at the " sit- 
ting " preferred; if the steamer is sufficiently 
full to necessitate there being more than one. 
The second is usually the better, as sufficient 
time is then left between meals to gather an 
appetite for the " extras." After the break- 
fast hour has been ascertained hie thee to 
the stewardess to arrange a suitable hour for 
the bath. The deck steward should next be 
interviewed concerning a chair, the price of 
which will range (according to steamer) 
from fifty cents to a dollar. 

A twelve or thirteen day trip may seem 
long, but in reality it passes quickly. The 
daily round of meals engrosses much time, 



8 How to Visit Europe 

as in addition to the ordinary curriculum 
of breakfast, lunch and dinner, there come 
" beef tea and biscuits " at eleven, and after- 
noon tea at 4.50. Amusements, too, are 
always organized by the passengers, con- 
certs, theatrical performances, dances, mas- 
querades, sports, mock trials, etc., according 
to the " talent " on board. Then new friend- 
ships must be formed, and romances, begun, 
ended, or watched. Again, all passing ships 
attract much attention, as do whales, por- 
poise and the changing colors of the sea, 
while a never ceasing watchfulness for ice- 
bergs is part of the excitement. 

As the end of the voyage approaches the 
question of " tips " looms large upon the 
horizon. The stewardess and table steward 
are the most important, unless you have been 
a bad sailor and required a lot of attention 
from the deck steward. In ordinary cases a 
dollar each to the first two suffices. The 
matter of the head steward and the man 
allotted to the cabins depends entirely upon 
what these worthies have done. Women 



On Next to Nothing 9 

rarely tip the first, the latter may never have 
been seen or may chance to be the table at- 
tendant also. The only other essential tip 
is that to bestow upon the man who carries 
your baggage ashore. 

It is well to provide yourself with small 
change before going aboard, for, at the end 
of the voyage it is difficult to obtain; even the 
purser is oftentimes badly provided. Small 
English money, too, is immediately neces- 
sary upon arrival, for, on the other side, por- 
ters have to be employed to take the lug- 
gage from steamer to train. This is merely 
a matter of a sixpence (12 cents) limit. 

Before land is well sighted there comes a 
cry of "Letters!" for the pilot brings 
the mail aboard, as well as news of the 
outer world, and when these are read you 
join in the scurry of collecting luggage, if 
you are going off at the first port, or at 
least help to swell the murmur of farewells, 
make a hasty exchange of addresses, 
promise appointments and remembrance, 
then scramble ashore to enter a new world 



io How to Visit Europe 

or stand bewildered in the turmoil of a busy- 
railway station. At last you are upon Euro- 
pean soil! 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

One fare to Europe — half a return $38.00 

Tips, stewardess and table steward 2.00 

Rent of deck chair 50 

Church collections, etc 25 

$4075 



CHAPTER II 

First Day on the Continent, Arrival in London, 
Hotels and Necessary Arrangements to Make in 
Regard to Landing — Memorandum of Expenses. 

So OUR first day in Europe was spent in Le 
Havre. We looked on this as a kind of an 
" extra " thrown in by the shipping company, 
for neither Comrade nor I had put on our 
lists the name of " Havre-de-Grace, " as it 
used to be called back in the fourteenth cen- 
tury, when, what is to-day, the second port 
in France (coming after Marseilles in order 
of importance) was but a tiny fishing village 
at the mouth of the Seine. 

Perhaps, because it was an unlooked for 
" foreign part " we enjoyed Le Havre the 
more. Some people scorned it, dashed on 
to swallow Rouen in a day, and rejoined 
the ship exhausted in the evening. Others 
hastened to Paris. They knew nothing of 
Havre and its quaint charm, and because of 
ii 



12 How to Visit Europe 

their ignorance we forgave their scorn. 
They did not know that nearly four hundred 
years before the narrow streets had rung to 
the cries of warring factions. 

That once, the famous Prince de Conde, 
leader of Huguenots, had delivered the town 
to Queen Elizabeth, for whom it was held 
through a stubborn year of fighting by the 
Earl of Warwick, though Catherine de 
Medici and her son led the besiegers in per- 
son. Nor did they realise that some years 
later Le Havre had become one of France's 
most important fortresses. They had been 
playing cards in the saloon and had not even 
seen the entrance to the intricate docks which 
are among the finest in the world, offering 
over 150 acres of safe accommodation for 
vessels from every part of the globe. 

The passage, from the time the ship hangs 
outside, waiting on tide and a tug boat, in 
company with a score or so more liners, until 
the gangway is at last put down and one may 
walk ashore, is engrossing. The manoeuvr- 
ing of the big vessels through a waterway as 



On Next to Nothing 13 

congested as Broadway or State Street, the 
marvellous manner in which they are steered 
through the throng of giant warships, sombre 
torpedo destroyers and tiny tugs and ferry- 
boats, makes one gasp, while behind, under 
lea of the breakwater, the red-sailed fishing 
boats against a background of dancing water 
and white-fronted, green-shuttered, French 
houses, offer a capital field for the kodak 
fiend. 

It is a moot point whether it is best to en- 
ter Le Havre when the sun is tinting water, 
town and low-lying hills alike, or when night- 
fall gives the place a tinge of mystery, 
when the outlines of great shipsloomvaguely 
through the darkness, and the intricacies of 
docks and " bassins " can only be guessed 
at — When the town lights hang like a pend- 
ant from a hillside necklace and the wharves 
are lined with figures, freed from toil, who 
come to sing a welcome to ships arriving 
from foreign lands, and to greet returning 
friends. 

Once landed in Le Havre there is a gen- 



14 How to Visit Europe 

eral rush of passengers to the carriages whicK 
can be hired for a merely nominal charge, 
about a quarter per hour. But it is better 
fun to go exploring according to one's fancy. 

In a carriage one must rely upon the knowl- 
edge of the Jehu. On foot, in a foreign land, 
all the world is your friend, and information 
as to what to see, the history and identity of 
buildings, etc. is yours for a glance and a 
smile. The birthplace of more than one 
celebrity may be sought out in Le Havre, for 
Bernadin de St Pierre, the author of Paul 
and Virginia, and Mademoiselle de Scudery 
were both among the notables who first saw 
the light here. 

Comrade and I turned to the right down 
the quay, in obedience to the captain's direc- 
tions, and, at the Cafe Beliot (the name of 
which we noted as a landmark) found a 
car, which, for ten and fifteen centimes re- 
spectively — as there happened to be a seat 
vacant in each of the two classes — took us 
to the post-office at the south end of the Rue 
de Paris, the main street in the town. Noting 



On Next to Nothing 15 

the color of the car, that we might find the 
right one again, we got off and wandered 
from side to side of the road (for the shop 
windows form one of the charms of Havre) , 
buying such trinkets as we liked, resting in 
the coolness of that centuries old church 
Notre Dame de Grace, and bartering for 
fruit in the market place. At length we 
reached the Cafe Tortoni in the Place Gam- 
betta, facing the tree-shaded flower market. 
Here, disdaining an ordinary lunch after our 
surfeit of formal meals on the ship, we re- 
galed ourselves with quaint, tall glasses of 
" cafe au lait " and delicious " croissants au 
beurre " as the French call those nicest of 
all the " little breads " with butter, for the 
modest sum of twelve cents apiece. Even 
at this restaurant, table d'hote dejeuners can 
be had for fifty cents, while at many a little 
cafe down the Rue de Paris and other streets 
a quarter pays for a three course meal with 
cider. 

What would we do next, we debated, as 
we noted the picturesque effect given by the 



1 6 How to Visit Europe 

narrow streets and the bassins thatenablebig 
ships and tall masts to be a feature of the 
shopping district. The manner in which they 
crop out in unexpected quarters and odd cor- 
ners is a thing to be preserved in a photo- 
graph. Should we saunter down to the fash- 
ionable " Frascati " for the noisy delights of 
the casino? Should we take the funicu- 
lar and be drawn up to the suburb of St. 
Adresse where the finest view of Le Havre 
and its surroundings can be obtained? Or 
should La Heve, which offers the attraction 
of lighthouse as well as a view, secure our 
attendance ? Then, as Comrade reminded me, 
there were still the gendarmerie, the stock 
exchange, courts, picture gallery, museum and 
city hall to be seen, if we would " do " Le 
Havre properly. I waved her suggestions 
aside. Should we devote precious time to 
such ordinary things when we were within 
half an hour's journey of some of the most 
interesting of the smaller places in all historic 
Normandie? Fifty cents would take us to 
Honfleur, rich in dramatic memories of the 



On Next to Nothing 17 

French Revolution of 1848 inasmuch as it 
was there that Louis-Philippe and Marie- 
Amelie, Queen of France contrived to rejoin 
after their hasty flight from Paris. It was 
in the Pavilion de la Grace, still standing on 
the hill behind the white town, that the two, 
each forgetful of self, listened to the debat- 
ing of their frightened councillors as to how 
they might be sent safely to British soil. 
Louis-Philippe would not risk, for his wife, 
a crossing on the wild March night when 
only a daring fisherman could be persuaded 
to venture forth, and the packet-boats could 
not run. And she, frantic with the fear of 
what might have befallen her children, clung 
to her husband, refusing to be parted, until 
they persuaded her that by remaining at 
Honfleur she might divert those in pursuit 
of the king. Then he went forth in an un- 
certain endeavor to find a boat, having 
yielded to her petition that if he were 
arrested she would be permitted to join 
him. Royalty was forgotten, they were 
man and woman in the face of grave 



ii 8 How to Visit Europe 

danger, the realisation of that other revo- 
lution was strong in their minds — and 
the mob spirit of the French people had 
broken loose. 

One is glad to remember that, when foiled 
in his attempt, the king returned from Trou- 
ville, they ultimately reached the haven of 
an English boat together, and, under plebian 
English names, gained English shores in 
safety. 

But Comrade shook her head. Had we 
not vowed to see Trouville, that gayest of gay 
French watering places? I remembered that 
a fellow passenger had told us that " Coney 
Island isn't in it with Trouville," and 
capitulated. Trouville it must be ; we knew 
that it was a forty minute journey across 
the water, that the boats started from the 
front and that the fare was, first class, thirty- 
four cents each way, second, eighteen. Pray- 
ing for luck regarding the catching of boats 
we sought the jetty and a time table, then 
set off for what seemed a brief hour on a 
gorgeous stage. Trouville is certainly like 






On Next to Nothing 19 

a play on a gigantic scale so far as the 
toilettes of the actors are concerned. One 
lives to dress at Trouville, and enormous 
prices are spent on bathing costumes. We 
gasped as we came suddenly upon the sands 
for we felt that we had stumbled unwittingly 
upon a masquerade where swimming took the 
place of dancing. It was impossible to real- 
ize that such wondrous costumes were for 
daily use. Here were girls like mermaids 
with attendant squires in marvellous scale- 
like creations strolling about with the white 
sands and dancing waters for a background, 
while for an audience was a vast, fashionable 
assemblage of their friends. 

Trouville is a village for millionaires, a 
place where the " simple life " is sought at 
a vast expense. Everyone goes donkey- rid- 
ing and bathing in the morning, to promenade 
concerts in the afternoon and to dances in 
the evenings. Everywhere the supreme de- 
sire is to outshine all others and to wear the 
costume that costs the most. The memory 
of Trouville will be one of colour and ex- 



20 How to Visit Europe 

travagance. We turned from it to seek out 
Caen amid its green meadows, and in its 
tranquillity found a sense of relief. 

Caen was here to be sacked by the English 
nearly nine centuries ago and is rich in his- 
toric remembrances. Charlotte Corday, 
in her girlhood, walked the streets that men 
call prosaic today. The house of Beau 
Brummel — the greatest dandy the world has 
ever known, can still be visited. And, for 
the pieces de resistance are the tombs of Will- 
iam the Conqueror and Matilda — those mon- 
uments built by way of penance for marrying 
within the proscribed degree. Alas, a clock 
struck, and we gazed at one another in 
amazement. Our day in Normandie had 
fled. 

We hastened back to the ship to ex- 
change experiences with the little group of 
passengers who were continuing their way to 
England. 

A night of rest — then the white cliffs of 
Dover — the eagerness of locating " the first 
church ever built on England's shores " — the 
" first lighthouse ever erected " — and Wal- 



On Next to Nothing 21 

mer Castle, the fortress wherein is a gun with 

the quaint inscription 

" Load me well and train me true, 
I'll drop my shell into Calais blue." 

And it is believable for the faint outline 
of France can be seen across the channel. 
Next we passed the dangerous Goodwin 
Sands, then seaside resorts, known through 
book and paper, Margate, Deal and a score 
of less known places, all so close that houses 
can be distinguished without the aid of 
glasses. Then the broad estuary of the 
river Thames, the gradually narrowing 
banks, and Greenwich, from which the 
English-speaking world measures its longi- 
tude. At last the landing, and the sudden 
realisation that the ship is no longer your 
home; that henceforward you must find for 
yourself in an unknown country. 

"What hotel?" becomes the question of 
the hour. The Cecil is known to all men — 
a great caravanserie beloved of Americans — 
the rate for a single bedroom is 1.25 per day, 
breakfast sixty to seventy-five cents, luncheon 
another seventy-five, with dinner at a dollar 



22 How to Visit Europe 

and a quarter. The Great Eastern Hotel, 
more patronised by English people, has much 
the same charges and is more convenient to 
Fenchurch Street being only a two cent omni- 
bus ride distant. Midway between these, in 
both distance and price, lies the Hotel Kenil- 
worth of Great Russell Street wherein you 
are provided with a comfortable bedroom, a 
bath and breakfast for the inclusive price of 
$1.25. But it is well to telephone around 
from the station and ascertain where accom- 
modation can be provided. When a resting 
place for the night has been found, peace of 
mind returns, and an omnibus ride, to get a 
bird's-eye view of London, with dinner at any 
restaurant that attracts the eye, usually pro- 
vides sufficient amusement for the first night, 
with the added excitement of trying to catch 
the English accent and master the curious if 
infinitesimal differences in phraseology. 

England is a land where everyone has time 
to answer questions and the politeness, even 
of motor 'bus drivers to each other, positively 
makes the stranger giddy. 



On Next to Nothing 23 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

A DAY IN NORMANDIE. 

Cars, 20 centimes $ .04 

Boats, one franc eighty 36 

Coffee, rolls and butter, 60 centimes 12 

Waiter's fee, 10 centimes 02 

$0.64 

FIRST NIGHT IN ENGLAND. 

Dinner, two shillings $ .50 

Omnibus fares, sixpence 12 

Cloak room charge for trunk, two pence 04 

Hotel, one night, five shillings 1.25 

Breakfast, half a crown 60 

Extras, two shillings 50 

$3-oi 



CHAPTER III 

Securing London Lodgings, Advantages of Certain 
Districts, General View of the City with a Hint 
of the Romance of it — Where to Dine, English 
Method of Collecting Baggage, and Transference 
of all Belongings to Temporary Abode. 

It is an easy matter to find temporary lodg- 
ings in London. Streets on streets of houses 
in various localities seem to be set apart for 
the especial accommodation of transients. 

For the most part, Americans go to 
Bloomsbury — that district in the neighbor- 
hood of the British Museum which seems to 
consist of boarding houses alone. It struck 
me, and also Comrade, that there would be 
a want of wisdom in paying for what we did 
not get, and we certainly should not feel in- 
clined to return to our lodgings for the sake 
of a meal, supposing we were at the other 
end of this great London, even if time were 
not precious. 

Accordingly we decided to take rooms only, 
so wended our way by motor 'bus to Victoria 
24 



On Next to Nothing 25 

Station in the south west district. We 
walked up Buckingham Palace Road beside 
the station, went over the bridge above the 
lines behind it, and struck diagonally across 
Eccleston Square to Warwick St., wherein, 
both to left and right, every second house 
displays the sign of " Rooms to Let." 

To be sure the terraces of ugly houses all 
alike, and of the same greyness of tone, have 
a depressing effect, but this gloom is char- 
acteristic of all the sections of London where 
temporary quarters can be obtained. 

Comrade turned to the right and I to the 
left, as we emerged from the shade of the 
trees in the square, which, by the way, is 
chiefly inhabited by knights and baronets, 
courtsey lords and dowager ladies. The 
agreement was that we should each go to 
three houses and then meet to compare notes. 
At my first house they " wouldn't take ladies," 
and shut the door in haste. Evidently I was 
not prepossessing! Comrade, at her first 
venture was told that the rooms had been 
taken five minutes previously, but at the 



26 How to Visit Europe 

other four places chosen from the group 
between numbers 81 and 101 we fared 
better and found exceedingly clean comfor- 
tably furnished rooms, front and back, for 
the moderate weekly rental of twelve shillings 
and eight shillings and six pence respectively, 
including lights and attendance. Bathrooms 
seemed rarities, the landladies asserting 
that " they didn't pay ! " This seems no un- 
usual deficiency in London houses of the old 
type, the only way to manage is to make use 
of the public baths, where for the modest sum 
of three pence or sixpence you are provided 
with an abundance of water, soap and towels. 
Warwick St., indeed the south-west district 
generally, is convenient for sightseers, as it 
is within walking distance (or a penny omni- 
bus ride) of many of the things one wants to 
see. Buckingham Palace is only ten minutes 
distance afoot, and, when royalties are in 
residence, perpetual pageants are to be seen. 
The Mall and Constitution Hill outside 
the Palace, form excellent vantage grounds. 
Again, besides being within easy reach of the 



On Next to Nothing 27 

parks, St. James, Green and Hyde, greatly 
used by Londoners, it is comparatively close 
to the river on which ply boats though not so 
frequently as they ought. When going to 
the city this is an exceedingly pleasant way of 
travelling and as one journeys under the 
bridges, down beside the Embankment, the 
great hotels and clubs are seen. A splendid 
view, too, is obtained of the Houses of Par- 
liament, on the terrace of which, if it be after- 
noon, guests of the members sit at dainty 
tea tables. Lower down, comes the famous 
Temple and yet further on, the turrets of 
the Tower stand out. You can picture to 
yourself the time when the Thames was the 
greatest thoroughfare of the city, and kings 
and courtiers wended their way down it, in 
gaily bedecked barges. Nobles were taken 
by the same route to be landed at " Traitor's 
Gate " and beheaded on Tower Hill! 

We did not neglect practical matters in our 
excitement, remembering to stipulate with our 
landlady that there should be " no extras " 
and arranged for breakfast, which seems to 



28 How to Visit Europe 

cost, in London, sixpence, eightpence or a 
shilling according to your requirements. 

These details being settled we boarded a 
Vanguard omnibus as it swept by the door, 
descended at Victoria and went by under- 
ground electric to the city, for our boxes had 
been left in the cloak room at Fenchurch St. 
Station. The railway company undertook 
to send them to our new abode in Warwick 
St. that night, or early next morning, for nine- 
pence apiece. It was our intention to sort 
things out a bit and then send to storage 
a trunkful of such things as would not be 
needed until we set out to return. 

The first little matter arranged we went off 
to lunch at the famous Cheshire Cheese, con- 
tent in the remembrance that all our worldly 
possessions were insured. 

We were lucky, in as much as it was a 
Wednesday and therefore " pudding day," 
at the ancient restaurant we had selected to 
provide us with our first luncheon. When 
we came to Wine court and found it a nar- 
row turning off Fleet St. and then discovered 



On Next to Nothing 29 

the Cheshire Cheese itself (in much the same 
shape as it had been in the days when Dr. 
Johnson dined there), with its sanded floor 
and low-ceilinged room, our spirits soared, 
for it was to see old London, as much as 
modern, that we had crossed the seas. The 
sight of the book of the autographs, of the 
celebrities who have dined there, is alone 
worth the two shillings charged for the beef- 
steak pudding! 

Like giants refreshed we went back to the 
hotel where we had spent the night, collected 
our bags from the office, hailed a hansom and 
drove to Warwick St. It was a decided 
novelty to be whirled along in a two wheeled 
box amid ponderous omnibuses, tooting mo- 
tors, speeding cyclists, four-wheeled cabs and 
other hansoms. It seemed as if all London's 
seven millions must be in the endless line of 
vehicles until we looked on the pavements. 
Then we wondered that there were yet people 
enough left to fill the cabs ! And the police 1 
At first we looked at them with startled eyes. 
Surely something terrible must have happened 



30 How to Visit Europe 

in the surrounding districts. Why else this 
appalling number of men in blue? They 
were at every corner and not singly, but in 
groups! It was not until we had driven a 
considerable distance that we realised that, 
in London, you are rarely out of sight of 
the uniformed guardians of the peace. 

Suddenly Comrade pinched me. " We 
are in London,'' said an awed voice. " Do 
you realise it? This is London!" 

In truth, the responsibility of finding a 
lodging, and the gathering together of our 
scattered belongings, had so engrossed me 
that I had not realised, to the full extent, and 
now awoke with a start. 

We were in London — exploring a city 
that had been a city many years B. C. It 
was modern London, the city that draws 
to it hundreds and thousands of sight- 
seers from all parts of the world. The 
London to which the best the world pro- 
duces, by brain as well as muscle, is sent 
each year. Literary London, artistic Lon- 
don, the London of Romance! — Romans, 



On Next to Nothing 31* 

Saxons, Normans and Danes have given 
their lives to it in past ages, as do the 
moderns when the need is sounded to-day. 
Above all it is the city of our forefathers, 
the city we know so well — by hearsay! 

On the fast passing omnibuses around us 
we saw such names as Aldgate and Bishops- 
gate. They are existing reminders of the 
old London that, as a walled city, was 
besieged by land and water, ravaged by dis- 
ease and destroyed by fire. Other familiar 
names met our eyes. Paternoster Row, 
and Carmelite St. Whitefriars and Black- 
friars — reminders that once two thirds of 
London had consisted of convents and mon- 
asteries, when Benidictines, Dominican 
friars, Franciscans, Augustines and Car- 
thusians jostled each other in the streets. 
For London grew year by year despite efforts 
to prevent it. Even Elizabeth's decree, that 
all empty houses less than seven years old 
should be pulled down, and no new ones 
should be erected, had little effect. Hol- 
born and Bloomsbury through which we had 



32 How to Visit Europe 

passed were once country resorts to which 
people went for change of air. This busy 
Fleet Street famous for its associations, 
was a suburb away back in the fourteenth 
century. Then, names meant something. 
Moorfields signified fields, and Covent Gar- 
den was a garden. The Strand was once a 
busy waterway. Fleet St. a swift flowing 
river. To-day it can only be realized when 
the eyes are shut. Open them, and the 
modern swamps the old; save for a reminder 
given by some quaint costume worn by an 
occasional school-boy, messenger or family 
retainer. Old London is dead. Modern 
London sounds in the ears and assails the 
eyes — the London of the tourist the taxi 
and the motor omnibus ! But still, in odd 
corners stand the old buildings around which 
our forefathers fought — the ancient churches 
wherein they worshipped. 

Other cities in other lands have wider 
streets and higher buildings. They may 
lack some of London's millions but, to the 
ordinary eye, the crowds elsewhere seem as 



On Next to Nothing 33 

vast — at least in sections. Such cities have 
the wonder of the present, the hint of the 
future. London has the glamour of the 
past — so London calls to us, children of the 
younger lands. 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

Omnibus and Underground fares $.12 

Transference of trunk 18 

Lunch, etc 74 

Taxi cab ..... .62 

$1.66 



CHAPTER IV 

Beginning of Sightseeing — The River, Tower, Monu- 
ment, Academy, Picture Galleries — Method of Ob- 
taining Admission to Those not Generally Open, 
Museums— Also a Brief Mention of Historic 
Places That Must not be Omitted. 

Our real sightseeing has begun. It will be 
hopeless to put down in this, my diary, every 
individual thing we see and do, for the Old 
World is so full of wonders, therefore I 
shall just make notes to help my memory, 
and to aid those who follow in my footsteps, 
to get their full measure of joy. 

For our first objective we chose the Tower 
of London, that ancient structure, fortress, 
palace and prison successively, that has been 
so bound up with English history. For 
equipage to carry us thereto, Comrade and 
I selected a boat at Vauxhall Bridge, and 
so went our way down the historic river 
where, in bygone ages, the Father of King 
Canute sailed his " great fleet of ninety- 
34 



On Next to Nothing 35 

four ships," in an attempt to conquer Lon- 
don — a feat in which his son succeeded. 

Our only regret was that we could not land 
at " Traitors' Gate." It would have been 
such a picturesque way by which to enter the 
Tower! Instead we had to walk prosaically 
through an ordinary entrance, leave the 
camera and obtain a couple of twelve cent 
tickets apiece, for, despite our vows of 
economy we had not selected a free day, 
being too impatient to wait for a Monday 
or a Saturday. 

The twentieth century slipped from our 
memories as we passed beneath the hoary 
archways and under the very window from 
which Lady Jane Grey had seen her hus- 
band's headless body carried in, and watched 
the building of the scaffold upon which she 
was to be beheaded. 

Comrade could hardly be torn from the 
crown jewels. Such a collection of crowns 
and coronets running to waste unworn was 
beyond belief! And then, in addition there 
were sceptres and crosses, badges, stars and 



36 How to Visit Europe 

collars that made one long to break the 
glass — to say nothing of the sacred annoint- 
ing spoons that would make such splendid 
souvenirs! The lust of possession entered 
our souls. If all those who visit the collec- 
tion feel as we did, it is lucky for England 
that she has a never failing supply of incor- 
ruptible minions of the law to guard the 
glass cases! I dragged Comrade from 
them and we turned to gasp with amazement 
before a " beef-eater " or " yeoman of the 
guard." He was clad in scarlet and wore a 
lovely ruff and a wonderful hat, to say noth- 
ing of knee breeches and long silk stockings. 
This, he kindly explained to us, was a " high- 
day and holiday " uniform. Usually they 
wear blue with red trimmings. On ordinary 
occasions too, silk stockings are not worn. 
" It would be bad for the 'ealth," he ended 
gravely. 

Oh, the curious blending of ancient and 
modern ! For the sake of tradition the old 
costume is kept in all its glory, but a recogni- 
tion of the chilliness of the English climate, 



On Next to Nothing 37 

and latter day concern for the well-being of 
the public servants, has persuaded the author- 
ities to provide worsted stockings instead of 
silk " except for fetes ! " And, while the 
old moat is still there, a knowledge of hy- 
giene has caused it to be emptied of water 
and planted with grass! 

The White Tower or " Keep " is the 
oldest part of the fortress and dates 
to the ten hundreds and the days of 
William the Conqueror. It was in this 
Tower that David of Scotland, John of 
France and the ancestors of half the nobles 
of the present day were imprisoned. Here 
Richard the Second signed his abdication 
and the little princes were smothered while 
they slept. 

Up the corkscrew-like stairway, built in 
the thickness of the wall and so narrow that 
we had to go singly, are the state apartments. 
We peered at the vast collection of armour; 
admired the brightness of the artistically 
arranged arms; marvelled at the array of an- 
cient notables upon their prancing armour- 



38 How to Visit Europe 

clad steeds; called up vague memories of 
tragic happenings at the sight of the illus- 
trious names carved on the walls; shuddered 
as we looked at the thumb-screws, the heads- 
man's axe and other instruments of torture. 
Then wandered out to the site where once 
stood the scaffold on which Anne Boleyn, 
Queen Katherine Howard, the Countess of 
Salisbury and the Earl of Essex (who once 
owned the Tower and only yielded it up as 
the price of his ransom) met their doom, as 
did that pathetic young figure, the ten-day- 
queen, Lady Jane Grey. It was a great 
moment for us, of course, but some 
how, as we stood in the river breeze, the 
past seemed very long ago. The modern 
dress of the soldiers about the Tower, the 
sunlight on the gloomy old place and our own 
exhilarating sense of exploring made us un- 
able to realise the tragic side of our sur- 
roundings. But we should have turned 
away with due decorum had not a young 
country bumpkin, reading, to his companion, 
the inscription concerning the victims of the 



On Next to Nothing 39 

headsman's axe, concluded it, in the same 
monotone, with the brief comment " Poor 
beggars ! " We left the Tower hurriedly. 

It is not wise to do too much pleasure 
hunting at a time, but when we came unex- 
pectedly upon the 202 feet high Monument 
— raised in commemoration of the great fire 
which destroyed London in 1666 — we paid 
our three pence in the heat of our excitement 
and started up the narrow stairway before 
we realised what we were undertaking. 
Outside, the slits in the pillar are barely no- 
ticeable, inside they begin by being fair sized 
windows, but the angle at which they dwindle 
off, and the thickness of the wall, prevents 
much light entering, and our way up was 
felt rather than seen. It seemed to be miles 
before we found our gasping way out into 
the little railed inclosure at the top of the 
Monument, but the panorama of London 
spread out before us was worth the struggle. 
It lay beneath us looking like a vast model. 
What startled us was the number of churches 



40 How to Visit Europe 

and the oddness of their locations. They 
show clearly how business has usurped what 
were once residential districts. On the 
street level they are hidden away down nar- 
row lanes and behind buildings, and so 
escape notice. From the Monument their 
tall spires seem to rise in every direction, 
the grime of the city's smoke and soot giving 
place to whiteness as they taper towards the 
top. Over all, hangs the bluish haze of 
London that gives so charming a vagueness 
of outline to the commonest objects. 

Down the ribbon-like, twisting river, ap- 
parently on the wrong side and miles dis- 
tant, we saw Westminster Abbey; looking 
in the other direction the high, curious form 
of the Tower Bridge. Even the dome of 
St. Paul's, with the golden ball above it, 
seemed small and far off, while in the near 
foreground the busy streets looked so at- 
tractive that we hastened down to them again, 
to wander where we would among the Jewish 
and costermonger quarters, until hunger sent 
us back to more civilised parts, and we sought 



On Next to Nothing 41 

to appease it at a " Slater's " within sight of 
St. Paul's. 

It seems days since I had time to enter up 
anything in this diary, but that is only be- 
cause the hours are so filled with new im- 
pressions. Thank Heaven the dates are 
moving slowly! We have been to picture 
galleries galore. The Tate Gallery (once a 
prison) where a fine group of Watt's are 
to be seen as well as gems by other modern 
masters. The Wallace collection — which 
must on no account be missed — the Diploma 
Gallery (that adjunct to Burlington House 
of which few people seem to know), en- 
grossing because it contains a presentation 
picture by every Royal Academician. The 
Royal Academy itself, to see which we 
utilised a spare evening, (it is open at nights 
at half price during the last week) and the 
National Gallery to which we went on a 
" student's day," paying sixpence for the fun 
of seeing embryo artists at work upon copies 
of the old masters. 



42 How to Visit Europe 

There were yet more galleries to see, as 
well as the private collections, tickets to view 
which can always be obtained through the 
embassy, but the days were passing, so we 
turned from them to the markets and went 
from Smithfield, where the great patriot Sir 
William Wallace (beloved of all readers of 
the Scottish Chiefs) was beheaded, to Bil- 
lingsgate, in our search for adventure. 
Covent Garden claimed us early one morn- 
ing and we rose soon after sunrise to visit 
that busiest of the world's markets where 
produce from every quarter of the globe 
arrives in drays and wagon loads, and many 
colored fruits, flowers and vegetables, piled 
in profusion, offer such a field for pictorial 
effect that the scene is the despair of photo- 
graphers, though the delight of artists. 

One thing we learnt early in our peregri- 
nations, and that was, when in going over 
interesting places, a policeman looked en- 
quiringly at us, it was advisable to nod in- 
telligently and to join, in a casual manner, 
the unostentatious group behind him. This 



On Next to Nothing 43 

is the invariable prelude to the showing of 
some sacred spot " to which visitors are not 
usually admitted." On emerging it is cus- 
tomary to drop twopence into the cicerone's 
accidentally outstretched palm. 

(Note. Expense account will be given at 
the end of the two weeks spent in London.) 



CHAPTER V 

Arrangements for Letters, Whitehall, Methods of 
Transportation, St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, 
and Cathedral, Parks, Palaces, Noteworthy Build- 
ings and Houses, a General Account of the Res- 
taurants, Tea Shops and Little-known French 
Cafes, etc., Which Those Wishing to Make a 
Moderate Amount of Money go a Long Way, can 
Patronise to Advantage— Memorandum of Ex- 
penses. 

We have only just discovered the first of the 
antedeluvian methods of doing business which 
we had heard were customary in England. 
When we decided upon coming over, know- 
ing our address would be uncertain, we 
directed everyone to send letters to the poste- 
restante section of the Charing Cross Post 
Office — it looked central on the map. To- 
day we sallied forth to call for mail and 
learnt that there was a cast iron rule for- 
bidding anyone to use the convenience for 
longer than one month! Supposing you, 
being out of reach, write to ask that any 
44 



On Next to Nothing 45 

epistles awaiting you may be forwarded. 
That communication dates the commence- 
ment of your privilege though no letters may 
come for you for a fortnight afterwards. 
The only thing to do is to outwit the authori- 
ties by arranging to utilise successive offices. 
Another plan is to address to the American 
Express Company, but this means frequent 
expeditions to the Haymarket. 

This little discovery was made on a Satur- 
day morning when we had been exploring the 
Houses of Parliament, peopling the House 
of Commons with famous men of the pres- 
ent day as we looked at the vacant leather 
covered benches, and revelling in the stillness 
and magnificence of the House of Lords, as 
we ventured to seat ourselves for a moment 
on the almost sacred " woolsack." We had 
then slipped into that magnificent Gothic 
structure the Abbey, as the last rolling notes 
of the organ were dying away, and joinedthe 
little procession of sightseers, (mainly con- 
sisting of Americans) who were awaiting the 
convenience of a guide. 



46 How to Visit Europe 

The highest honour England can be- 
stow upon her greatest men is burial 
in the Abbey, and for centuries past 
the noblest have been here laid to rest. 
Busts and tablets commemorative of those 
who have won fame in war, exploration, 
science, art and religion, fill the aisles. A 
realization of our own youth is forced upon 
us here. Another sense impresses one — one 
of desecration. The tombs of England's 
illustrious dead should not be turned into a 
sixpenny peepshow ! Again, the effigies need 
restoring badly, tourists have wrenched 
crests from the biers, and, in some cases 
have actually carried off the small sculptured 
heads and limbs as souvenirs! 

Comrade and I like better than the tombs 
and chapels, the stillness of the " long drawn 
aisles," wherein, beneath our feet, are en- 
graved the names of those known to us from 
childhood. We stepped carefully towards 
that of Charles Dickens, for there is an un- 
canny sensation in walking over the dust of 
the dead, and upon the stone above the nove- 



On Next to Nothing 47 

list some travelling American had laid a 
bunch of flowers and a tiny stars and stripes 1 

We left hoping to be in time to see the 
changing of the guard at Whitehall, but 
missed it, so, after snatching a glance at the 
window through which Charles the First 
passed to execution, we caught that best of 
all London's means of locomotion, an " elec- 
trobus " to go to St. Paul's, for we were in 
the mood for churches. On the way down 
Fleet St, however, we became fired with a 
desire to go over whatever part of the 
Temple it was permissible to visit. The 
very arch of it carried us back to the time 
of Richard Coeur-de-Lion, the Knights 
Templars and Sir Walter Scott (for was it 
not once owned by Aymer de Valence, hero 
of Castle Dangerous?) before the Knights 
of St. John claimed it and leased it out to 
students, a practice which has continued to 
this day. 

To those accustomed to modern flats the 
stone stairway, and rear-like entrance, may 
not seem imposing, but the chambers are the 



48 How to Visit Europe 

most sought after in London, by certain 
classes, and those barristers and writers who 
become tenants of even the third and fourth 
generation of sub-lessees, count themselves 
fortunate. 

The Temple church is Norman, and well 
worth a visit, while the halls are one of the 
sights of London. The walls are panelled 
in old oak, and these panels, like the win- 
dows, are crested with the coats-of-arms of 
the famous men who have been readers to 
the students. At one end of the great dining 
hall is the very stage upon which Shakespeare 
acted Twelfth Night with a Queen for his 
audience. Elizabeth sat at the oak table 
which was made from the wood of the ship 
in which Drake sailed round the world, and 
herself led the applause, for Elizabeth en- 
joyed life as should her father's daughter. 

In love of contrast we laid aside our 
thoughts of Elizabeth and entered the tran- 
quil grandeur of St. Paul's. Even the in- 
cessant roar of London sounded dim be- 
neath the great dome into which one gazes 



On Next to Nothing 49 

vaguely. Through the distance-giving-haze 
in the heights, the gleam of gold and gorgeous 
colour can be seen. Beneath, the torn, 
singed flags (those symbols of England's 
warlike spirit) , are tombs and tablets com- 
memorative of great men and heroic deeds. 
The most splendid inscription of all is on the 
monument to " Chinese Gordon." 

" Major-General Gordon, C. B.," so it 
runs, " Who at all times and everywhere gave 
his strength to the weak, his substance to the 
poor, his sympathy to the suffering, and his 
heart to God. He saved an empire by his 
war-like genius. He ruled vast provinces 
with justice, wisdom and power, and lastly, 
obedient to his sovereign's command, he died 
in the heroic attempt to save men, women 
and children, from imminent and deadly 
peril." 

After reading that, the world old flags, 
which gave the touch of colour needed in 
the black and white vista of the aisles, 
seemed to have a new meaning. We passed 
tablets to soldiers, war-correspondents, 



50 How to Visit Europe 

clergy and other famous men, and went 
thoughtfully down to the silent crypt, made 
weird by the shadows of those passing with- 
out, wherein stands the colossal funeral car 
of the Duke of Wellington. It was made 
out of the cannon captured from the French. 
Here, in the shadows beyond the sarcophagus 
containing the body of Nelson, flanked by 
the graves of Collingwood and Corn- 
wallis, we found forgotten statues of men 
long dead who have been conquered 
by the ages. — Their very names are unknown 
to the present generation! But some are 
remembered, for as we stepped softly over 
the tombs, past that of Sir Christopher 
Wren, with its memorable inscription, to- 
wards " Painter's Corner," we found, in a 
niche in the stone of one statue, a visiting 
card ( !) laid there by some vandal from the 
Western States. 

When we recovered our equanimity we set 
out to climb to the gilded ball above the gol- 
den gallery, but found that Britannia was too 
generous. A sixpenny worth of stairs taxed 



On Next to Nothing 51 

our capacity to the uttermost. So, after 
peeping in at the library, used, as the cus- 
todian told us, " by gentlemen, authors and 
such-like," we stopped at the Whispering 
Gallery and saw the people in the aisles be- 
low looking like Lilliputians. For the first 
time we realised the glory of colour in the 
cathedral. Then we started violently. 
No one was near ,yet such an emphatic order 
to " sit down " was given that we instinc- 
tively obeyed. The mysterious voice 
sounded again and dry facts were delivered 
in a loud whisper — 

" St.-Paul's-was-begun-in-i 875-nine-years- 
after-the-Great-Fire-of-London It-took 35- 
years-to-build-and cost-one-and-a-half-million 
-pounds-sterling- There-are-627-steps-to-the- 
top-and-the-diameter-of-the-galleries-is-112 
feet-the-total-height-of-St-Paurs-Cathedral-is 
365-feet-the-designer-Sir-Christopher Wren- 
is-buried-in-the-crypt." The sepulchral voice 
ceased but no ghost would retail such dry- 
ness so we glanced about for the speaker, 
and, across the circular " Whispering Gal- 



52 How to Visit Europe 

lery " saw a toothless old man whispering to 
a post. It was his voice that had reached 
us with such weird effect ! 

Surely London days are flying. We have 
seen much, but not one-tenth of what we 
want to! One Sunday morning was spent 
in watching the notables on " Sunday Par- 
ade " in Hyde Park. Another vanished 
when we went to see the quaintly costumed 
mites at the Foundling Hospital. An after- 
noon fled while we sat on penny chairs in the 
Park, waiting for the Queen to drive by. 
Warm evenings have melted away at the 
military promenade concerts in the parks. 
As for Kensington Palace and the Albert 
Memorial we only just glanced at them 
one afternoon when we went to drink tea 
beneath the great paper umbrellas, of the tea- 
house in Kensington Gardens. The shop- 
ping districts have hardly been touched up- 
on. The British Museum, where we had 
intended really to study, has scarcely been 
more than entered. That in South Kensing- 
ton is almost unknown territory as is also 



On Next to Nothing 53 

Westminster Cathedral. Sir Frederick 
Leighton's House with its interesting studio 
and wonderful Moorish Hall simply must be 
seen. And what self-respecting person 
could leave London without having visited 
the little house in Chelsea wherein once dwelt 
the sage, Carlyle? Then the memorial 
tableted buildings must be searched out (ac- 
cording to the list in "What's On"), the 
homes of Edmund Kean, Byron, Keats, Dar- 
win, Dickens, and a hundred others. And 
Charterhouse, Thackeray's oldschool, ought 
to be visited, perhaps the day we seek St.Bar- 
tholemew's, the oldest church in London. 
The King's stables too, at Buckingham 
Palace, are yet to be seen. 

At least we know the restaurants for wc 
have visited most of the famous ones as well 
as those noted for moderate prices. All 
Slater's seem good and cheap, while the A. 
B. C.'s and Express Dairy Companies' shops 
supply odd meals. The Kardomah of 
Piccadilly is the nicest and most reasonable 
place in London for afternoon tea. The 



54 How to Visit Europe 

James Fleming restaurants in Oxford Street 
are marvels of cheapness. At Pinoli's in 
Wardour St. an eight course French dinner 
can be obtained for a couple of shillings, 
while the quaint little " Roche " near-by in- 
cludes wine at a yet smaller price. 

A great advantage in these foreign places 
is that they are open on Sundays — a day when 
it is possible to starve in London unless one 
" knows the ropes." 

So far our expenses have been as small as 
I had hoped. 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

TWO WEEKS IN LONDON. 

Room at eight shillings per week $ 4.00 

Fourteen breakfasts at eight pence 2.24 

Lunches at an average of one shilling 3.50 

Dinners (six at one shilling and six pence and 

eight at two shillings, respectively 6.26 

Entrance fees, Royal Academy, night, National 
Gallery, (Student's Day) Monument, three 
pence, Abbey six pence, Tower one shilling, 
Foundling Hospital one shilling, St. Paul's one 

shilling 1.80 

Park chairs, omnibuses, boats, tips and incidentals 5.74 

$23.54 



CHAPTER VI 

The Environs of London, Hampton Court, Kew, 
Richmond, Epping Forest, Greenwich and an Ex- 
cursion to Windsor and Eton, with Costs and 
Ways of Going — Memorandum of Expenses. 

Our sense of the " foreign-ness " of Lon- 
don is wearing away. We no longer hesitate 
to ask a question in momentary uncertainty 
as to the language to employ. It is well, for 
we can spare no more time for exploration 
of the grand old city if we would learn to 
know its environs. Henceforward London 
will be our headquarters only, except for such 
scraps of days as really must be devoted to 
seeing hitherto neglected places such as 
Greenwich, Hampstead Heath, Madame 
Tussauds, Lambeth Palace (the abode of the 
Archbishop of Canterbury), the Guildhall, 
and any particular attractions in the theat- 
rical, musical or royal spectacular lines. For 
55 



56 How to Visit Europe 

the rest we shall be out of town visiting 
nearby places, Richmond, Kew, Hampton 
Court, Windsor, Burnham Beeches, Vir- 
ginia Water, Eton and Epping Forest. 

Hampton Court can be seen on the same 
day as Richmond and Kew, if you like, and 
the speediest method of transport is by the 
Metropolitan from Victoria, or by tube to 
Shepherds' Bush, thence by electric tram. But 
Comrade and I hate hurry, so we set aside 
advice tending that way ,and, on a glorious 
morning caught one of the few boats that 
undertake to carry passengers the whole dis- 
tance. The leisurely journey was just the 
rest we needed after our strenuous days of 
sightseeing, and we were delighted with the 
fascinating glimpses of houseboat life vouch- 
safed to us en route. Then, too, we passed 
many a place known to us by name, including 
Twickenham Ferry, the reaching of which 
seemed the signal for an outburst of the 
popular song. Kingston was not far distant 
— how impossible it is to realise that the little 
place was once England's capital and the 



On Next to Nothing 57 

scene of the coronation of seven of the Saxon 
kings ! 

Hampton Court (open to the public daily 
except Friday) was reached in time for us 
to lunch at a funny little " Cyclists' Rest," 
and after that the wonder of the magnificent 
flowering chestnut trees engrossed us so that 
we could hardly tear ourselves from them to 
enter the palace. The mile-long, triple ave- 
nue, stretching out to Teddington, is indeed 
unforgetable when seen in full bloom. The 
candle-like masses of pink and white flowers 
reminded us both of glorified Christmas 
trees ! 

An omnibus makes the whole distance for a 
few pence, but we had come out for a restful 
day, so disdained such a vehicle, preferring 
instead, after seeing the palace and pictures, 
the tapestry, rare old china, furniture and 
orangery, to loiter awhile by the fountain, 
feed the ancient carp, penetrate a little way 
into the maze " just to say we had done it," 
and then ramble slowly through the park in 
the direction of Teddington. We petted the 



58 How to Visit Europe 

gentle deer as they came running to us, 
while we laid plans for the forthcoming 
weeks as we rested beneath the magnificent 
cedars — and lo ! — the day was gone. 

We could not help being sorry for Cardinal 
Wolsey when we looked back and saw the 
palace bathed in sunset colours. It must 
have been trying to have to pretend that he 
had built it for Henry VIII. . . . Many 
sovereigns have inhabited it at one time or 
another — the Charles', Elizabeth, William 
and Mary, " Good Queen Anne," and both 
the first and second Georges. Do their 
ghosts gather in the gorgeous, deserted halls, 
after nightfall, when the general public is 
shut out, I wonder? . . . 

• . . • • 

We have just returned from Windsor and 
it has been one of our best days. . . . Let 
me write about it while the joy is fresh and 
my impressions are undimmed by others. 

Without doubt Windsor Castle is one of 
the most interesting of all the royal resid- 
ences in Europe. Imagination often rears 



On Next to Nothing 59 

such splendid palaces that reality must fall 
short of expectations. It is not so with 
Windsor. We went from Waterloo on an 
excursion fare — after looking up (in 
" What's On") the days on which the most 
parts of the palace were on view. Our first 
view of the castle was from the Hundred 
Steps, which were built, it is said, by Henry 
VIII., in order that when royalty lay heavily 
on him, he might escape unnoticed, to 
mix with the yokels at the bar of the village 
inn, or fight with some pugnacious butcher. 

Windsor Castle, which has been one of the 
chief homes of the kings of England since the 
days of the Conqueror, stands, a stately pile, 
above a tiny village. The dim blue English 
atmosphere forms a splendid background for 
its turrets and towers; one of the fairest 
views can be gained from the river. 

The castle itself deserves first attention; 
the " state apartments " with their gorgeous 
ceilings and noble proportions, are worthy 
of their name. They are fitly the apartments 
of kings. The damask on the walls has been 



60 How to Visit Europe 

woven especially for royal use, and has the 
famous motto, " Honi soit qui mal y pense," 
emblazoned upon it. This is also seen again 
among the brown oak leaves on the carpets. 
Costly bric-a-brac decks the halls and much of 
it has been wrested from England's foes. In 
a glass case there stands a sacred bird of 
India, it was taken from Tipoo Sahib after 
the mutiny, and the Hindi will tell you that 
whosoever holds possession of the bejewelled 
trophy shall wield dominant power over 
India. And there are cases after cases of 
equally valuable spoils of war. Among them 
are costly gifts from almost all the peoples 
of the world. The silver-gilt throne in the 
throne room is another symbol of victory. 
The Kings of Kandy formerly rested against 
its high back, and on the dragons with their 
gleaming amythest eyes. Another visible 
sign of England's triumphs is the colossal 
bell that hand's in the famous moated tower; 
it was wrested from the Russians at Sebas- 
tapol. 

St. George's Hall is almost the finest of 



On Next to Nothing 6i 

the spacious apartments to be seen at Wind- 
sor. It is 200 feet long and breadth and 
height are practically identical, 34 and 32 
feet. Edward the Third built it to serve as a 
banqueting hall for the Knights of the Gar- 
ter, and it is now used on state occasion. The 
ceiling is decorated with the shields and arms 
of all the Knights of the Garter since the 
foundation of the order. The banners of 
the original twenty-five hang beneath the 
shields, for flags are used, with great effect, 
everywhere in the castle. Some are ancient 
flags with gallant histories, and are so worn 
and singed that they have had to be carefully 
stitched on to a foundation to keep them to- 
gether at all. A black flag hangs out, oddly 
distinct among the colours ; it was taken from 
the Dervishers by Lord Kitchener. Two 
new ones next catch the eye, they are French, 
and hang above the busts of Marlborough 
and Wellington. It is obligatory upon the 
descendants of these dukes to renew them 
once a year; if they are not so replaced (so 
runs the decree), the titles shall lapse. Cer- 



62 How to Visit Europe 

tainly a curious tenure upon which to hold 
two of the proudest names in England. 

St. George's Chapel, where the royal mar- 
riages take place, is also hung with flags. A 
banner emblazoned with a knight's arms, 
hangs above each carved stall. They form 
a gorgeous avenue of colour leading towards 
the altar. 

If you climb to the battlements of the 
Round Tower (used as a prison " until 
1660! ") twelve surrounding counties can be 
seen, and from the broad east terrace, across 
the moated gardens, some of the stately 
homes of England are visible; several can be 
viewed upon request. Many are to-day in- 
habited by millionaire Americans! Down 
beneath the castle, herds of deer are gathered 
beneath the magnificent, centuries old oaks 
which stretch away in grand cathedral-like 
aisles to the equestrian statue of George the 
Third, some three miles distant down the 
Long Walk. 

One is forcibly reminded of the richness 
of England in historic and literary memories 



On Next to Nothing 63 

when standing on the terraces, or beneath 
the hoary arches, of Windsor Castle. "What 
are those grey buildings?" you ask, point- 
ing to some within easy walking distance. 
" Eton College, " comes the answer, and you 
register a mental vow to go there before you 
return to the city. Some one else is asking 
if the distant, white-spired, church, is any- 
thing in particular. And you learn that it is 
Stoke Pogis, and that the little churchyard 
is immortalised in Grey's " Elegy." Frog- 
more, the mausoleum wherein lies the 
" Good Queen," is also within sight, as is 
Runnymede, where John signed the Magna 
Charta and so gave Englishmen their long 
fought for liberty. 

Tingling with the thought of the stir and 
stress of life, and the men who have lived 
and made the world better, we passed 
through the quiet cloisters wherein old 
knights, not blessed with this world's goods, 
have quarters set aside for them beneath the 
king's own roof, and here spend their de- 
clining years in peace. 



64 How to Visit Europe 

One other day in this glorious week will 
not be denied admission to my diary and that 
is one we spent picknicing in Epping Forest. 
It is incredible that such a forest can exist 
within twelve miles of the hughest city the 
world has ever known, but it does, and you 
can walk for hours in the green glades with- 
out meeting a soul, even if you go on Bank 
Holiday, when, according to statistics, thou- 
sands will have taken train to the same place. 
At all seasons the forest has its especial 
loveliness. In the spring the pink and white 
hawthorn makes certain valleys visions of 
fairyland. In the Autumn the rich bracken 
is tinted to gold and the ground beneath the 
beeches is thick with glorious, copper-col- 
oured leaves. In winter, the solitude and 
purity of the untouched snow, and the leaf- 
less, frosted, many twigged trees, is unforget- 
able. In the height of summer the spread- 
ing branches rest eyes, weary of streets and 
buildings, while the larks, thrushes, nightin- 
gales and other songsters create an orchestra 
for you at all times. Herons and kingfishers 



On Next to Nothing 65 

may be seen by those who seek— rare butter- 
flies flutter about, and shy deer slip by in 
haste. It was at High Beech that Tennyson 
wrote "The Talking Oak." 

It is possible that I have forgotten Rich- 
mond? — The day when we went to Kew, 
revelled in the Gardens and then walked 
along the footpath by the river to drink tea 
and eat the famous " Maids of Honour " at 
a pastrycook's in the busy little town with 
which so many royal names have been as- 
sociated? And then we found our way to 
the Terrace Gardens to seek the view over 
the Thames Valley which is said to be un- 
surpassed of its kind — and seeing we be- 
lieved — next turned from the ribbon-like 
river to find White Lodge in Richmond Park 
for Comrade had been reading " The Heart 
of Midlothian " and would not rest until the 
site of Jeanie Deans' historic interview with 
Queen Caroline had been seen. I wonder 
how our expenses are going? Must stop to 
cast up the accounts ! 



66 How to Visit Europe 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

Rent of room per week, at eight shillings $ 2.00 

Breakfasts 1.16 

Luncheons 1.80 

Dinners • 3.00 

Fares 2.15 

Extras and incidentals 85 

$10.96 



CHAPTER VII 

Stratford-on-Avon and How to Get There— The 
Dual Deities — Hints on Seeing Kenilworth, Wood- 
stock or Blenheim. 

The right way to go to Stratford-on-Avon 
is from Oxford whence it can quickly be 
reached by rail, or, if you are athletically in- 
clined, by road on a cycle, being only 39 miles 
off — in this event Woodstock or Blenheim — 
could be explored midway. We did not do 
this wise thing but took, instead, a six-and- 
sixpenny day excursion ticket from Euston. 
These can be had on Wednesdays and Satur- 
days throughout the season, and the trains 
are so arranged that ample time is given for 
seeing all the most important sights, though 
you will doubtless feel that a week would 
not be too much for Stratford and its sur- 
roundings. It is the centre for some of the 
most interesting points in England. Kenil- 
worth is only thirteen miles distant and for 
the payment of a sixpence you may ramble 
67 



68 How to Visit Europe 

where you will, re-peopling it, in imagination, 
with the ghosts of Elizabeth and Leicester, 
or stand and dream in the very spot where 
the unhappy Edward the Second abdicated 
his crown. Warwick is half the distance 
with twice the entrance fee. The famous 
cathedral and porcelain works of Worcester 
are what might, in the States, be called " a 
street length off " — 25 miles. England is 
such a compact little island ! 

As for Stratford-on-Avon itself, it can be 
seen in a day, and a sufficiently leisurely day 
to be enjoyable. Imagine a quiet little vil- 
lage with wide streets, a winding river and 
picturesque old houses, and you have Strat- 
ford — except for Shakespeare and Marie 
Corelli. 

The fact that the one was born here, and 
the other lives here, attracts thousands, and 
the requirements of these tourists have called 
various businesses into existence. Rows of 
" flys " stand outside the stations, cyclists' 
rests, tea-shops, and cafes abound, as do 
numerous places where portraits of Shake- 



On Next to Nothing 69 

speare and Marie Corelli, views of their re- 
spective houses, and souvenir spoons com- 
memorative of both, are displayed in equally 
prominent positions. The rustic who volun- 
teers directions to any Shakespearian spot 
rarely fails also to indicate the exact location 
of " Mason Croft," where dwells the author- 
ess of the " best selling novel of modern 



times." 



First in importance as a show place comes, 
of course, Shakespeare's own home in which 
he was born in the quaintest of low roofed 
rooms. There is little enough in the house 
now, a bust, a table, an escritoire, and a 
contemporary chair or two. But there is a 
fascination about the old place and one pre- 
fers to linger in the bare rooms rather than 
in the museum where there are more relics. 
From the window a charming glimpse can be 
had into the garden where someone with a 
pretty fancy has planted almost all the herbs 
and plants mentioned in the immortal plays. 

Stratford offers a splendid field for the 
camera. Shakespeare's house itself could 



jo How to Visit Europe 

hardly fail to come out well, nor the carved 
front of that of John Harvard, nor the 
quaint, low-roofed grammar schools in which 
Shakespeare, as an eager-eyed boy, must 
have seen his first play — it served as a theatre 
for travelling actors. Trinity Church in 
which the dramatist is buried, is also splendid 
from the picturesque point of view. The 
epitaph above the grave of the " Swan of 
Avon" struck us as curiously pathetic — 

"Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, 
To Digg the dust encloased heare, 
Bleast be ye man yt spares these tones, 
And curst be he yt moves my bones." 

It was in this church too that we came 
upon a curiosity of which we had read but 
never seen — a chained Bible! 

But the most charming feature of the 
whole place is Ann Hathaway's cottage and 
the pleasantest way of reaching it is to stroll 
to Shottery by the lanes and fields. We did 
this and there was no danger of losing our 
way for sign posts and directions abound. 
When we came suddenly upon it the old 



On Next to Nothing 71. 

world charm of the little place enchanted us. 
It is set in that ideal background an old- 
fashioned, sweet-scented garden, wherein 
nothing new has been permitted to intrude. 
Picture an eav-hung, thick-thatched cottage 
with windows and doors at odd angles and in 
unexpected corners, and you have the famous 
place. Nothing has changed. Enter and 
the clock turns centuries back for you. You 
see what Shakespeare must have seen, when 
he came swiftly by the very paths we our- 
selves have trod, to talk over his hopes and 
ambitions, dream dreams and build castles 
in the air with Ann Hathaway to help him. 
The illusion is complete, for the trustees have 
done their work well. Whenever possible 
they have obtained the identical household 
goods, but when such were unprocurable, 
contemporary utensils have been put into 
place, with the result that here there is none 
of the stiff formality noticeable in Shake- 
speare's house. 

A touch of unconscious humor, is supplied 
by the extremely blase young guide who 



72 How to Visit Europe 

escorts guests about the house and watches 
with lynx-eyes to see that they do not write 
names upon the walls. She so fascinated 
Comrade and me that we followed round in 
several groups. First she herds the various 
tourists together like sheep, then begins in 
an even monotone — 

"That is the settee upon which (it is be- 
lieved) William Shakespeare and Ann Hath- 
away sat when he came courting here. This 
is the platter on which (it is said) food was 
eaten at that period. You will observe that 
it is reversible. First they ate meat and 
vegetables from one side — you will observe 
the hollow (said to be) used for salt — then 
they turned it over and partook of pudding. 
Visitors will now proceed upstairs." They 
followed and the expressionless voice con- 
tinued. " Visitors will now descend." They 
did, and a fresh supply entered. The same 
even tone started on the same sentence! 
" That is the settee upon." 

"Is she an automaton?" gasped Com- 
rade. 



On Next to Nothing 73 

" A phonograph would give more variety 
of expression," I cried as we covered our 
ears and fled out through the gate, past a 
group of children selling " Marie Corelli 
and Shakespearian wildflowers." And still 
upon the soft warm breeze came the hard 
unvaried monotone beginning all over again 
— " This is the settee upon which it is be- 
lieved." It rang in our ears until we re- 
turned to Stratford and found a boat to 
take us upon the historic Avon. No noisy- 
motor or puffing steamer for us, when our 
own strong young arms could propel us down 
the tree fringed stream, where every stroke 
brought new beauties into view. 

Note.— Expense account will be found together with 
that of Chapter VIII. 



CHAPTER VIII 

The Glory of Oxford; its Colleges and Churches, 
Spacious Quadrangles and Winding Back Waters 
— Student Lodgings and How We Found Them— 
History Incarnate— Memorandum of Expenses. 

It is fortunate that I found time to describe 
our day at Stratford-on-Avon before we 
went to Oxford, for now I can think of noth- 
ing except that city of colleges, domes, spires 
and spacious quadrangles which calls to her, 
students from afar. Oxford is exactly what 
it ought to be. Walls — hoary with age — ivy 
covered walls, chapels glorious with carving; 
arches, stained glass, and delicate ceilings, 
mellowed by time. The curious part of it 
is that it is in the byways you find the great- 
est glories. Stay in the wider roads and you 
are amid shops and modernism. Search out 
the spires and grey walls of which glimpses 
can be had from the main streets, and you 
will find historic colleges down the narrow 

74 



On Next to Nothing 75 

lanes through which only pedestrians can 
pass. All is eloquent of the bygone centuries 
that gave Oxford birth. 

Comrade and I took a week-end ticket 
(when we arrived we wished to stay a month 
at least) caught an afternoon train from 
Paddington and descended at our destination 
in time for dinner. We took the waitress 
into our confidence regarding our need for a 
lodging (an hotel was too prosaic to be 
thought of) and according to her directions 
as to locality found our way to Pembroke St. 
down which, a stone's throw from Christ 
Church we found Broadgates Hall a " li- 
censed lodging " in which to our delight we 
were able to establish ourselves in real stud- 
ent " diggings." One had considerately de- 
parted and we enjoyed his luxuries. It ad- 
ded to our pleasure that a card bearing the 
words " God Save the King " was above his 
name on our door. This signified that he 
had just taken his degree — and in fact that 
this portion of his life was over. The col- 
lege crests popularly known as " freshers 



76 How to Visit Europe 

delights" ornamenting the student's quar- 
ters so captivated our fancy that a new trunk 
seemed almost a necessity. 

Unpacking was only a matter of minutes, 
so impatient were we to be exploring historic 
Oxford. Perhaps the starlit night gave 
glamor to the scene, perhaps the hoary walls 
looked the more vaguely mysterious in the 
dim light of the moon, but that first night 
ramble about Oxford and down the narrow 
lanes, as we located college after college, 
aided by a little guide book, will always re- 
main in my memory as one of the most de- 
lightful of all our nights in England. The 
thrill of it, as we stood in the quadrangle of 
Christ church, the most magnificent and spac- 
ious in Oxford, and listened to the deep dis- 
tinct strokes of Big Tom striking the nine 
o'clock curfew in signal that the gates were 
shutting, is yet vivid. 

With us, that night, walked heroes of the 
past and present. Queen's College calls 
John Wycliff e and the Black Prince her sons. 
Oriel claims Sir Thomas More, Matthew 



On Next to Nothing 77 

Arnold and Cecil Rhodes. Addison was at 
Magdalen, at which there are no finer clois- 
ters in all England, Shelley belonged to Uni- 
versity — founded by King Alfred — Corpus 
Christi held Keble for a time, while Christ 
Church gave Great Britain three premiers in 
succession — Gladstone, Lord Salisbury and 
Lord Roseberry; the Wesleys too, were 
members of the same college. Pembroke 
claims Dr. Johnson, while Balliol dating back 
to 1282 and disputing precedence as to age 
with Merton, is associated with the names of 
Browning and still more recent famous men. 
Milner and Curzon. Cardinal Newman 
once walked the lawns of Trinity. Froude 
was at Exeter. Great names too, are on the 
roll of Jesus (the first college founded since 
the Reformation), but they are mostly 
Welsh. Many of these colleges are espe- 
cially for certain nationalities, though they 
are, of course, open to the world. 

Some have quaint customs, the origin of 
which have been lost in antiquity. For in- 
stance on New Year's Day at Queen's the 



78 How to Visit Europe 

bursar presents every member and guest with 
a needle and thread, saying, as he does so, 
" Take this and be thrifty." No one knows 
why he does it! And if you went to Mag- 
dalen at five o'clock on May morning, you 
would find the whole surpliced choir on the 
top of the tower, singing a Latin hymn to 
the Holy Trinity! 

I suppose it is the memories and past of 
Oxford that make it so unique. Yet even 
without these it would be a place apart. It 
was at the exquisite church of St. Mary 
the Virgin that Cranmer, Ridley and Lati- 
mer were cited to appear for disputation with 
the learned doctors of Oxford, and here too, 
a year later, that Cranmer was brought to 
publicly recant his errors. Nearby the tragic 
scene of martyrdom was enacted. There is a 
memorial raised in commemoration of the 
three who suffered at the stake. But Oxford 
is so rich in historic memories, dating from 
the ioth century, that there is no end to them. 
It was in Beaumont Street that Richard 
Coeur-de-Lion was born. Courts and camps 



On Next to Nothing 79 

have held their sway in Oxford. It was here 
that Charles the Second summoned the Third 
Shorter Parliament at the time that the Uni- 
versity melted down its plate to help advance 
his cause. 

But, when the memories of exquisite 
chapels, of great halls, huge kitchens and 
wonderful views of towers and domes, seen 
from the top of the Radcliffe Camera and 
the Sheldonian Theatre, have faded from our 
minds, I think we shall always remember the 
glory of Nuneham Woods and the long hours 
we spent upon the river drifting down shady 
backwaters under interlacing trees. 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

Day excursion to Stratford-on-Avon $ 1.50 

Entrances, boat hires, etc 75 

(Other expenses are included in the London week.) 

Oxford, return fare 2.00 

Entrance, fares, tips, etc 1.65 

Rooms and breakfasts at three shillings six pence 

per night 2.62 

Dinners, lunches and general extravagances 2.63 

$11.15 



CHAPTER IX 

•English Watering Places— The Charms of Brighton 
Rival Charms of Hove, Rottingdean, Worthing and 
Newhaven— Cycling Excursions in London-by-the- 
Sea — The Pavilion and Memories of George the 
Fourth — Memorandum of Expenses. 

It is time for a change of venue. That we 
decided some three or four days back and im- 
mediately determined that a week at an Eng- 
lish watering place was all that was required 
to revive our fading enthusiasm. In truth 
we are somewhat blase, a state of feeling en- 
gendered by a surfeit of what we had longed 
for all our lives — travel and Europe. 

In order to give a touch of exciting uncer- 
tainty to our movements Comrade and I 
wrote the names of various possible places 
upon slips of paper — Folkestone, Margate, 
Deal, Scarborough, Brighton, Eastbourne 
and Hastings, then drew one from the 
crumpled pile, and so, according to the decree 
of fate, are now en route for Brighton. 

Our train is running through an aggravat- 
80 



On Next to Nothing 8i 

ing series of tunnels. Between them we 
catch glimpses of typically English scenery 
— mile after mile of gently undulating lands 
(which irresistibly remind one of the lovely 
curves seen in some finely sculptured statue 
of a beautiful woman) all divided up into the 
ridiculous, pocket-handkerchief-like, hedged, 
fields, in which golden grain and wild flowers 
alternate with the greenest of grassy pad- 
docks. 

Before we left London we had gathered 
particulars about our journey to Belgium, 
where we purposed going next, and had 
packed in such a manner that the necessary 
clothes could be collected in a short hour. 
Our landlady readily consented to house our 
reserve trunks and to permit us to come 
there to repack when we offered to pay a 
shilling for the privilege and promised to 
return to her, should she have a vacancy, 
when we came back from the Continent. 
This point being arranged we set off with a 
light heart. 

There is little difficulty in lodging yourself 



82 How to Visit Europe 

in this " Queen of Watering Places " or 
" London-by-the-Sea " as Brighton is var- 
iously called. Three parts of it consist of 
''private boarding establishments," hotels 
and houses offering furnished apartments. 
Walk down any street, ride up any road, and 
scores of placards will jump at your eyes. 
Hotel rates are anything from six shillings, 
and sixpence a day up. Boarding-houses be- 
gin at a pound a week and are good at 
twenty-five shillings and thirty shillings. Of 
course the scale of charges decreases as the 
distance from the sea increases. 

It is a good plan to take a car down the 
Grand Parade to the Front, walk along it a 
little way, then up the side streets at ran- 
dom. It is useless giving direct addresses; 
the population is too floating. Current ad- 
vertisements are to be seen in both London 
and Brighton papers and these are the best 
guides for those who want certainty. 
Others can do as we did and go untram- 
melled by advance arrangements. Luck al- 
ways befriends the venturesome. The Old 



On Next to Nothing 83 

Steine, Marine Parade, Montpelier Road, 
Regency Square and Holland Road are all 
happy hunting grounds for would-be 
boarders and those who seek rooms. For 
the benefit of people who prefer hotels I 
may say that the Unicorn of North St. with 
a tariff of six shillings and sixpence is about 
the least expensive; the Metropole is at the 
other end of the scale. 

A week will vanish in Brighton as do the 
first days in London. For amusements, in 
addition to ordinary theatrical and musical 
attractions there are concerts on the piers, 
the admission fees to which are two or four 
pence according to how near the music you 
wish to go. The gaily lighted, festooned 
jetties, duplicated in the shimmering water, 
look like fairyland from the shore. Then 
there are diverse shows, bicycle polo, per- 
forming dogs, ventriloquists, fortune tellers 
lightning artists and a perpetually changing 
programme of dangerous events, such as 
high diving, water riding, and kindred 
shows. There are concerts again in 



84 How to Visit Europe 

the great Dome and in the Pavilion 
Grounds and here nearly all Brighton as- 
sembles, on summer nights, to sit in the gay 
circle of light near the decorated band stand, 
or wander up and down the shady paths, 
where colored lights glimmer from the thick 
foliage of the trees looking like gorgeous 
glow-worms. 

On Sundays some of England's best known 
preachers are always to be heard in Brigh- 
ton, and after church it is de rigeur to walk 
on " The Lawns " where frock-coated, tall 
hatted men are the escorts of visions of 
loveliness in lace and billowy silk robes of 
every imaginable hue. The dainty parasols 
shade complexions that are the envy of those 
who have spent the morning in a motor boat ! 

The Front itself offers a sight that rivals 
any continental watering place. It stretches 
out, perfectly paved, for a distance of five 
good miles. On the one side is the chang- 
ing sea, on the other fine residences and great 
hotels. Landaus, motors, donkey carriages 
and cyclists, pass in a kalidescopic picture. 



On Next to Nothing 85 

Pedestrians throng the side walks, stand in 
gay groups around luxurious bath chairs, or 
flock like chattering children about the 
patient little donkeys waiting for hire. 

Far off in the distance is the waving 
line of the Downs (which should rather 
be called "Ups") whereon were Roman 
camps in days gone by. Turn, and behind 
you is a jagged line of cliffs stretching to 
Newhaven and beyond. And on the danc- 
ing sea are boats of every description, pos- 
sibly warships and torpedo destroyers, cer- 
tainly yachts, excursion steamers, motor 
launches, and scores of fishing and row 
boats. Beneath you, on the sands, are gay 
bathing houses with horses to draw them 
into deep water, for here only children bathe 
from the beach. Adults hire a " machine " 
or dive from the pier at certain hours. Now 
climb down the steps or sloping pathway past 
the fishermen mending their nets and you 
will get a surprise. Built in under the front, 
like so many caves, are the " Arches " and in 
these are some of the quaintest little homes 



86 How to Visit Europe 

imaginable. They open direct upon and 
level with the beach, some are inhabited by 
fisherfolk, others are the dainty holiday 
nooks of artists, bright with chintz, brass and 
Japansese umbrellas and bric-a-brac. 

" If I lived in Brighton I would contrive 
to get located in the Arches," decided Com- 
rade as we climbed to the parade and set 
off in quest of bicycles to carry us to the 
Devil's Dyke. And what a glorious ride we 
had! Up hill some 700 feet, in a series of 
gentle gradients, to our objective, for the 
most part between yellow corn fields, and 
when we had scrambled to our hearts con- 
tent in the extraordinary excavation, cut, so 
says tradition, by his most Satanic Majesty, 
in order to flood Sussex (is not the mark of 
his shovel to be seen at the bottom?) a 
glorious free wheel flight the whole distance 
back to Brighton. We never put foot to 
pedal until we reached the crowded streets! 

Another morning was spent in the " Old 
Lanes," those reminders of what Brighton 
was when as a " fishing village " it captivated 



On Next to Nothing 87 

the fancy of George IV, then Prince of 
Wales, and enticed him to build the Pavil- 
ion, that unique, ornate, eastern-like pagoda 
which cost somewhere near a hundred thou- 
sand pounds for its erection alone, and as 
much more for its equipment. The chandelier 
in the gorgeous banqueting hall is the pride 
of the place. It is an immense shimmering 
pyramid of cut glass lustres suspended from 
the domed roof by the claws of a gigantic 
golden dragon, six other dragons hold out 
shimmering water lilies, from the hearts of 
which gleam electric lights. The extraor- 
dinary thing was the joy of King George's 
heart but after his death it was hidden away 
for years, owing to a dream of Queen Ade- 
laide's in which her royal highness imagined 
that she saw it fall and crush her attend- 
ants! The dream so affected her nerves 
that King William consented to have it taken 
down. The chandelier in the Dome is even 
larger, and is believed to be the biggest in 
the world, being six feet in diameter and 
containing over 200 lights. It is curious 



88 How to Visit Europe 

to remember that the magnificent building, 
with its arcades of Moorish arches, was once 
a stable. 

Another morning, after a few hours spent 
among that artistically arranged collection of 
British Birds in the Booth Museum we 
rambled afar beginning by taking the 
motor car to the Black Cliffs and walking 
thence to Rottingdean. Rottingdean is a 
charming old fashioned little fishing village. 
In it we sought out the house where Rudyard 
Kipling once made his home with Sir. E. 
Burne Jones for his neighbour. Then we 
wandered onward over the deceptive Downs 
that always lead you to believe that when 
you have breasted the next rise you will see 
far beyond, until we came to Newhaven. 
There, rejoicing in the changing colours of 
sea and sky as seen against the steep white 
cliffs, we caught the " Brighton Queen " back. 

Such boating trips are a feature of the 
place. You can go as far afield as Boulogne 
and back for eight shillings or so, or spend 
the day on the Isle of Wight for half as 



On Next to Nothing 89 

much. Most of the longer excursions, such 
as to Southampton, or Dover, average four 
shillings each, shorter trips, to nearby resorts 
or to view the channel traffic, can be had for 
6d or gd return and a more enjoyable way 
of spending a warm morning or evening can 
hardly be found. 

Those who like sailing can indulge in it 
for a shilling an hour up. Bathing begins at 
sixpence for half an hour's use of a " ma- 
chine." Then there are the parks, offering 
tennis, and the spectacle of that most exciting 
of all exciting and picturesque games, polo. 
The seats of various noblemen, too, (most 
of which can be viewed) are within driving 
distance. Arundel Castle, the chief abode 
of the Duke of Norfolk, is only 22 miles off 
by rail. Goodwood itself is close, and at 
Cowfold there is a magnificent Carthusian 
Monastery to which, however men only are 
accorded entrance. Taking it all in all 
Brighton cannot be called expensive, despite 
its character. 



90 How to Visit Europe 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

One week's board and lodging $ 7.50 

Fare from London and return, boats, cars, etc 6.70 

Bathing, concerts, amusements and personal in- 
cidentals 340 

$17.60 



CHAPTER X 

Belgium and How to Get There — Ostend, its Fasci- 
nation and the Sharp Contrast of Bruges and 
Ghent — Namur, Dinant, the Woods and Rivers of 
the Ardennes — The Famous Subterranean River 
and Grotto de Han — An Unexpected Venture Into 
the Bowels of the Earth — Memorandum of Ex- 
penses. 

Fares to Ostend vary amazingly. You can 
pay anything from ten shillings to forty shil- 
lings for first class tickets of the same dura- 
tion of time, according to the line you select. 
True to determination we chose the cheap- 
est route, but, as there was only a fractional 
difference between the rates for first and sec- 
ond-class tickets, took the former. For eleven 
shillings and sixpence the General Steam 
Navigation Company undertook to carry us 
on the " Alouette " from St. Katherine's 
Wharf, near the Tower, direct to Ostend. 
We might return by the same route any 
Thursday or Saturday and could stay abroad 
two months if we chose! The steamers of 
91 



92 How to Visit Europe 

this line depart at nine in the morning, so, 
rather than rush the matter, we returned to 
town on the previous day and put up at our 
old lodging, repacked in a leisurely manner 
and went to St. Katharine's Wharf, by un- 
derground and omnibus, directly after an 
early breakfast upon the following morning. 

Perhaps, in rough weather, the " A l- 
ouette " might not be very enticing, but those 
who have passed days upon the great oceans 
need fear neither the English channel nor the 
North Sea. Our crossing proved a mill- 
pond-like excursion and we were glad that 
we had made a provision contract with the 
steward. Three shillings and sixpence a 
head covered the cost of all meals eaten en 
route. 

Ostend is fair to see indeed when one ar- 
rives, as we did, after night-fall. Possibly 
the " Digue " as the water front is here 
called, is even more attractive in the day 
time. The rearing white walls, green shut- 
tered windows, and those oddest of daintily 
equipped balconies opening from the charm- 



On Next to Nothing 93 

ing villas, doubtless need the brilliant sun- 
light to show them to the best advantage. 
But we were fascinated by glimpses of shops 
and queer looking streets, caught as we fol- 
lowed the uniformed man, who had tri- 
umphed over all the others and carried us 
off to his hotel, rescuing us from the out- 
stretched hands of many porters by the power 
of his fluent, if imperfect, English. 

It is well to demand the price for a night's 
lodging and then to close with the most 
obliging man. The names of the hostelries 
are legion, and, except for those on the fash- 
ionable Digue, are much of a muchness in 
their terms — Perhaps the Hotel Metropole, 
14 Place d'Armes, is the least expensive — 
everything included for six francs a day. 
The Hotel Grand et d' Albion and the Grand 
Hotel Leopold 11 are in capital positions 
if the Casino be one of the chief objects of 
your visit. Eight to ten francs a day would 
pay the bill, or three francs for room, light 
and attendance. Apartments, are, of 
course, infinitely cheaper. Those facing the 



94 How to Visit Europe 

sea are the most expensive. In the various 
streets leading out of the Place d'Armes 
(wherein the markets are held) scores of 
houses can be found in which excellent ac- 
commodation can be had for a couple of 
francs a night. Rooms taken by the week 
or month will prove yet cheaper. But if a 
week or so be all that can be spared for 
Belgium a few days must suffice for Ostend. 
Be sure to do one thing, find your way to 
the Oyster Parks and taste oysters as you 
will never have tasted them before- — they 
will be taken up from the beds before your 
eyes! 

Ostend is somewhat Brightonian with the 
added attraction or oddness given by the 
foreign element and innumerable fetes. 
There is a splendid beach, as at Trouville, 
and a noble promenade upon which is the 
chalet of the King of the Belgians. Royalty 
is frequently seen among the gay groups on 
the Digue. Then the tile-facaded, glittering 
Kursaal is a great attraction. It holds capi- 
tal reading-rooms, and splendid concert 



On Next to Nothing 95 

halls and offices. Gorgeous balls are given 
here for the amusement of those who dance. 
And then there is the attraction of the gam- 
bling reserved for members of the " Private 
Club," in accordance with the restrictions of 
the law of the land. The races of August 
are famous, and attract thousands of peo- 
ple of every nationality. And, if by 
chance, you get into difficulty, there is the 
polyglot inquiry office at No. 13 Avenue 
Charles Janssens — What more can one de- 
mand of Ostend? 

It is a curious change to make in half an 
hour — that from modern Ostend, a watering 
place of laughter and mirth, to the old world 
city of Bruges, oftentimes called the " Ven- 
ice of Belgium." 

In the height of its splendour in the 14th 
and 1 6th centuries Bruges had a population 
of 200,000. Now it may reach a tenth of 
that figure. Grass grows in the main streets 
today, for the trend of commerce has gone 
in other directions since the Zwin, a small 



96 How to Visit Europe 

channel leading to the North Sea, silted up, 
(despite the struggles of the citizens against 
the engulfing sand) and so bereft Bruges of 
its title of " a sea port." 

Perhaps no city in all Belgium possesses 
more memorials of the past than Bruges- 
la-Morte, and, as we stood on the mossy 
borders of the Lac d' Amour, enchanted 
with the clearness of the spires and steeples 
reflected in the clear water, and remembered 
the old gateways dating away back to the 
fourteenth century, we asked ourselves how 
could we bear to leave it as soon as we had 
planned! What could be more charming 
than this " dead city " of canals, red-roofed, 
mossy walled houses, the magnificent Gothic 
Hotel de Ville (the ancient palace of the 
Counts of Flanders), to say nothing of the 
churches and the Catherdal de St. Sauveur's 
dating back, so says tradition, even to 646 
A. D ! And then the costumes of the people, 
the gen d'Armes and the peasants accom- 
panying the carts drawn by powerful dogs — 
and the lace makers at work in the narrow 



On Next to Nothing 97 

streets! The Belfry alone is worth the 
journey to Bruges. We thought so when 
we first came upon it in the market place, we 
said so again, when we had climbed the tor- 
tuous spiral stairway to revel in the glorious 
view from the top, and we were positive of 
it, when we first heard its glorious chime of 
bells some of which date from 1299. Had 
not Longfellow lain awake a whole night to 
listen to their rich music? 

The hotels of Bruges send agents to the 
station; multiplicity alone makes decision 
difficult. We ignored them all and put up 
instead in rooms over a bric-a-brac shop 
(Restaux') opposite to the cathedral, and 
found our meals in the curious restaurants 
of the Grand Place or " Grootemarket " as 
it is often called, for Flemish is the language 
of the peasants though the majority speak 
French as well. Those who prefer to live 
" en pension " could hardly find a better 
than that of Mme Barisele, 7-9 Place St. 
Giles. 

So much was there to see in Bruges that it 



98 How to Visit Europe 

was not until we were actually in the train 
on the way to Ghent that Comrade suddenly 
grasped my arm, exclaiming in dismay that 
we had forgotten to seek out that famous 
religious colony on the Beguinage, and, worse 
still, the pictures of Hans Memling! And 
then! — Ghent proved to lack the charm of 
Bruges, though it is a city of islands — 
twenty-six of them, I believe, linked together 
by eighty odd bridges. It is too prosper- 
ous! 

It would have been only natural to have 
stopped in Brussels when we came to it, but 
an eagerness to see the Ardennes had seized 
us, so Brussels, like Antwerp, was postponed 
until our return and we made straight on for 
Namur, where, after a day's exploration of 
the place and citadel we took a boat down 
the Meuse towards Dinant and spent one of 
the most perfect mornings of our tour on 
the river amid an ever changing panorama 
of loveliness. 

Dinant will always remain a place apart 
in my memory. Our first morning glimpse 



On Next to Nothing 99 

of it happened to be upon a market day when 
the cobbles resounded to the clatter of 
wooden clogs, and peasants, sheltering them- 
selves and their wares under gigantic um- 
brellas, camped in the market place by the 
cathedral, under the frowning rock, on which 
is built a citadel in which Madame de Main- 
tenon once dwelt. Dinant is a capital centre 
from which to explore the valleys of the 
Ardennes, and excellent little steamboats ply 
the rivers carrying passengers for a very 
few pence. One morning we went to Has- 
tiere, another we spent in the forest of 
Ardenne, lunching at what was once the 
Chateau Royal; then dreamed sweet dreams 
in the solitudes of the woods we had first 
learnt to know in the pages of "As You 
Like It" 

Castles and ruins appear as if by magic in 
the valleys of both the Lesse and Meuse. 
Small wonder that they are the haunts of 
artists. Then, too, the whole locality is 
rich in history, Gauls, Belgae, Romans, 
Franks, Vandals, Huns, and Normans, have 



ioo How to Visit Europe 

fought and lived herq, !and all have left 
traces behind them. 

We had not originally planned to visit 
the Grottos of Hans, but someone in a rail- 
way carriage gave Comrade such a descrip- 
tion of them that we were obliged to decide 
that no Belgian trip would be complete un- 
less the caves were included. Accordingly 
we followed local directions and set out for 
the short journey to Eprave, there joined a 
group of sightseers, mounted coaches and 
drove to Jemelle, where we descended into 
the bowels of the earth, two among the ioo,- 
ooo visitors who come each year to see the 
wonders of alabaster halls and subterranean 
rivers, wherein live eyeless fish. I wonder 
if anything can surpass the weirdness of the 
scene at the entrance to the range of moun- 
tains? As one stands shivering in the cold 
blast that blows from the catacombs, out 
come swarming children — queer little silent 
goblins from the nether world they seem, 
as you catch glimpses of them in the flicker- 
ing light of the double-wicked lamps they 



On Next to Nothing iou 

carry. Look before you in the darkness 
and you see a line of their lights gleaming on 
ahead, look behind, they are following you 
down the narrow slippery defiles and over 
grotesque boulders. Some of the galleries 
are of noble proportions — American sky- 
scrapers could be put inside them — others 
are gleaming caves of fairy land. It is two 
hours, incredible as though it may seem, 
from the time you enter until you embark on 
the subterranean river and the great detona- 
tion echoes through the vast blackness be- 
hind you. Then, propelled by strong arms, 
the boats shoot forward, and the outer 
world gleams like a jewel through the slit- 
like exit by which you scramble out, trebly 
realizing the beauty of the picture before you 
in contrast with the caverns behind. 

And now for the cost of it all. Belgian 
railway tickets can be had at wonderfully 
cheap rates. A season ticket for five days 
entitles you to go where you will and as 
often as you like, over the 3,000 miles of 
lines. A third-class ticket (wooden-seated 



102 How to Visit Europe 

carriages) comes to nine shillings and nine 
pence ; a second, to seventeen shillings and a 
penny. Others, lasting double the time, are 
twice the price. We, being uncertain as to 
the length of time we meant to spend, did 
not take a season, and spent about as much 
as if we had. For a limited holiday such 
tickets are very convenient. They can be 
obtained at the Belgian Railway station 
in Ostend; in addition to the price a 
deposit of four shillings is required, but 
this will be refunded when you give up your 
ticket upon its expiration. A portrait of 
yourself (about an inch and a half square), 
will also be necessary. If you have not one 
a snap-shot will be taken for a franc by 
Monsieur Le Bon, 36 Boulevard van Ise- 
ghem, Ostend. He will give you four copies 
for this munificent sum! 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

Return ticket, first class, London to Ostend 
and back $ 2.87 

London lodging, one night, breakfast and fares, 

three shillings and sixpence 87 



On Next to Nothing [103 

Meals on board (three shillings and six pence per 
head inclusive) 87 

Ostend hotel (two nights, with breakfasts) seven 
francs eighty 1.62 

Rooms in Bruges (three nights six francs inclu- 
sive) 1.25 

Namur (one night with breakfast), four francs 

twenty 87 

Dinant (three nights) six francs 1.25 

Living expenses, tips, etc 9.88 

Railway and boatfares (sometimes second class, 
sometimes third) and eight francs entrance fee 
to Grottos de Han 4.00 

Incidentals for return 1.00 



$24.48 



Note. — These railway fares include the expense of 
the journeys to Waterloo, Brussels and Antwerp, to- 
together with the return to Ostend. 



CHAPTER XI 

Brussels — The Field of Waterloo with its Monu- 
ment and Historic Farms and Chateaux — Ant- 
werp, a Hint of its Glories and a Warning to 
Others to Stay Longer Than We did, with Meth- 
ods of Lodging One's Self Comfortably (Without 
Undue Expense) in a Foreign City — Memorandum 
of Expenses. 

The worst of Brussels is that the Belgians 
expect you to stay too long in it. A week is 
usually enough for any continental town, 
especially when time is at a premium, but it 
is impossible to obtain furnished rooms in 
Brussels for less than a fortnight. Of 
course there are hotels at all prices from 
four shillings a day inclusive, and likewise 
pensions, as they call boarding-houses here. 
That kept by Madame Doltoure, 25 Rue de 
Propiers, is well spoken of by everybody, 
as is also Madame Veve's 62 Rue Veldt (the 
charge at each is four shillings a day) but 
such places tie one more or less. 

Comrade and I followed our usual plan, 
J04 



On Next to Nothing 105 

left our suitcases at the railway station and 
wandered off to seek a resting place. First 
of all we purchased a map of the town and 
asked a friendly policeman to locate the 
spot on which we stood. 

Preferring to live in the best quarter, and 
having a fancy for royalties, we wended 
our way towards the palace. 

We walked through the gardens, up the 
hill along by the car route, then turned out 
for lunch and a rest when we saw an inter- 
esting looking cafe. The interest of the 
stage-like continental life engrossed us, but 
at length we remembered we were homeless, 
so tore ourselves away and strolled up and 
down the streets radiating from the Palace. 
It was not long before we found what we 
wanted. The contingent locality seems set 
apart for the express lodgment of students 
and Americans coming to study in Brussels. 

We finally decided upon a tiny flat in a 
great apartment building at the juncture of 
three roads and a stone's throw from the 
car. It was also within walking distance of 



106 How to Visit Europe 

the Cathedral of Sainte Gudule, the Royal 
Gardens and Palais de Justice, while the tall, 
chimney-like monument crowning the flight 
of steps at the foot of our street, leading to 
the lower town, served as a landmark to us 
from afar. For our compact little flat or 
" quartier " as our landlady called it, we 
paid 14 francs a week. Service is not pro- 
vided in these cases but we found it could al- 
ways be obtained for a franc or so. Run- 
ning water was on the landing. 

Strange music awakened us next morning 
and we looked out to see a boy sauntering 
down the street playing a joyful tune on a 
pipe. Round him froliced a dozen goats. 
We flung on long coats to cover deficiencies. 
Comrade caught up a milk jug and I the 
camera, then we fled down the flagged stairs 
to catch the surprised youth at the corner. 
I photographed him while he milked a goat 
straight into Comrade's jug. 

The rest of the provender was obtained 
when we were more fully garbed for, in 
Belgium, there are always " shops around 



On Next to Nothing 107 

the corner." We had a breakfast fit for the 
gods — eggs (bought ready boiled) fruit, 
fresh rolls and coffee, the cost being about 
a dime apiece. 

We tossed a coin and so decided that we 
should first see Brussels itself, rather than 
make an experimental journey to any place. 
Before we were content over a week had 
flown! The lace shops alone occupy whole 
mornings, the filmy scarves, delicate collars, 
the yards of Pointe de Venise, raised roses 
(and winged butterflies ranging in price from 
20 cents upwards) are so enticing, especially 
to those unaccustomed to Belgium prices. 

In the early mornings we wandered down 
the Rue-du-Beurre-et-Fromage or past the 
cathedral to the market place, where the ex- 
quisite facade of the Hotel de Ville, famous 
as it justly is throughout all Europe, offers 
a splendid background for the kaleidoscopic 
scenes in the market place in which the 
Flemish peasants assemble to buy and sell. 
They come clattering over the stones in 
great wooden clogs, gay costumes and odd 



108 How to Visit Europe 

head-dresses, some laden with goods, some 
driving carts pulled by dogs! There are 
never failing pictures to be found in this 
market place. 

We dined at cafes in whatever quarter we 
chanced to be, and learnt to our bewilder- 
ment that in Brussels it is cheaper to order 
beer with a meal than to go without it ! 

The wonderful cathedral of Sainte Gud- 
ule, the Eglise Sainte-Marie, or the other 
beautiful churches, the picture galleries and 
museums coaxed us to them in the afternoons. 
The evenings were frequently spent in the 
" Biere Jardin." These are family gather- 
ing places, even the littlest children attend- 
ing constantly with their parents. Some of 
these are open free, others charge fifty cen- 
times to a franc admission. The concerts 
in these gardens are famous, for Brussels is 
one of the music centres of Europe ; students 
from most distant lands come here for in- 
struction at the Conservatoire. 

" When these pleasures pall, what shall 
we do? " asked Comrade one morning when 



On Next to Nothing 109 

we greeted the comical statues in the royal 
gardens almost without a smile. They are 
extraordinary productions, artistically, being 
the busts of celebrated men on shaped ped- 
estals — at the base of these pedestals bare 
feet protrude! 

I thought for a moment, for Brussels is 
a capital centre. Fifteen minutes by train 
takes you to Louvain, the abode of a famous 
monastery, half an hour, or a little more, and 
Antwerp (or Anvers as it is called here) is 
reached. But I had a longing for the coun- 
try, so the field of the battle of Waterloo was 
selected for the objective of our first ex- 
cursion. " That shall be to-morrow," de- 
cided Comrade. 

Our worn, faded landlady told us that 
the pleasantest way to go to Waterloo was 
to depart from the Gare du Midi and to 
leave the train at Braine l'Alleud. We fol- 
lowed her advice to find ourselves being 
scuffled over at a wayside station by a ges- 
ticulating group of drivers, each of whom 
was trying to persuade us to take his par- 



no How to Visit Europe 

ticular half franc ride to the seat of war. 

We stood bewildered, as did several other 
passengers. Suddenly a capable French 
damsel swooped to our rescue, explaining, in 
voluable English, that all the commission- 
naires were frauds with lame horses, but that 
she, she herself, would be delighted to show 
us what she could. Only let us follow her to 
the carriage she would select! We (and 
others) did — with effusive thanks — and 
found that she too was a paid charioteer! 
However it was a comfortable enough drive 
and she finally delivered us at the foot of 
the great monument at which 200 men had 
laboured for 4 years. Up the steps tourists 
climb all day. Every train brings them 
in carriage loads. They come from every 
part of the world. America, Spain, France, 
England and the Antipodes, to see this Bel- 
gian lion upon his Mound, gazing over the 
fields upon which was fought one of the most 
famous battles in all history. 

Guides are always in attendance ready to 
give information in any language, and if one 



On Next to Nothing hi 

wants their services they can be obtained for 
a few sous. But the landmarks are made 
plain to the eye by means of commemorative 
placards, so, tiring of the crowds, we wan- 
dered off by ourselves over the historic 
ground. 

It was June when Waterloo was fought, 
now it was later in the year. In place of 
waving wheat we saw golden stoops of grain, 
and hedgerows full of wildflowers, fragrant 
with clover. Instead of the roar of cannon 
we heard the joyous song of larks. 

Down the country road towards the vil- 
lage of Braine l'Alleud is the white-walled 
farmhouse of La Haye Sainte which bore 
the brunt of the struggle. Across the fields 
the Chateau of Hugomont can be seen. 

We rested among the golden grain, pic- 
turing unbroken squares of Highlanders on 
the wide undulating plains, seeing Napoleon 
and Wellington and the memorable charge 
of Blucher; then we forgot everything save 
the joy of life as we ate our picnic lunch, 
listened to the birds, gathered great bunches 



ii2 How to Visit Europe 

of wildflowers and saw the white-haired 
Belgian children tossing hay in the farm- 
yards. 

Realisation of the past is possible out in 
the open. When the little inns with great 
names are entered a scoffing spirit rises. 
How can a rusty sword or cuirass look of 
importance when surrounded by empty beer 
glasses? Or a war-worn, blood-stained uni- 
form inspire heroic thoughts when it is dis- 
played on a dress-maker's lay-figure? 

We were glad to escape from the picture- 
postcard vendors to the quietude of the fa- 
mous " Alliance," wherein Wellington spent 
three nights. It was in the tiny, low ceil- 
inged room of this inn that the great Eng- 
lish general met Blucher after the battle. 
The Flemish proprietress tells with pride 
that her mother lived there in those days 
and saw Napoleon. Then, with awe, she 
displays the marks of bullets in the thick 
oaken doors. 

The place seems half holy in the eyes of 
the peasants and few forget to genuflect when 



On Next to Nothing 113 

they pass the cross on the outside wall. 

This old Flemish woman with her eager 
torrent of French, her thin, gesticulating 
arms, her bare feet in wooden sabots, dates 
all things from that historic Sunday in June 
18 15. To those who have seen her home, 
and the gigantic monument outlined against 
the brilliant background of the sky, Water- 
loo will be real — never more only an incident 
in a book of history. 

Comrade and I turned our backs on 
Braine l'Alleud wondering if another day in 
all our journey could be more fascinating. 
And now the flying hours in Antwerp have 
almost surpassed it. After all, isn't that 
glorious city the crowning point of a Belgian 
tour? What pictures she holds in her gall- 
eries ! The notes of the organ in the cathe- 
dral still thrill me — the carved pulpit too, is 
a pulpit differing from all others. And then 
the strange blending of ancient and modern 
in the busy streets and quays — and the 
houses where celebrities have lived I I 
fought valiantly to spend a week in the place 



ii4 How, to Visit Europe 

regardless of our schedule — and Comrade 
dragged me back in a day! 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

Rent of flat (two weeks at fourteen francs per 

week $ 5.60 

Entrance fees, etc., say fifteen francs 3.00 

Sundry car fares, five francs 1.00 

Breakfasts, averaging sixty centimes 1.75 

Luncheons, averaging one franc 2.80 

Dinners, etc. (mainly at two francs, but we some- 
times yielded to temptation and (four times) 
tried the best restaurants where five francs was 

the charge) 8.00 

Incidentals and personal expenses 1 .75 

$23.90 



CHAPTER XII 

Daring Projects — Further Afield— En Route for 
the Riviera — Least Expensive and Most Conveni- 
ent Routes — Need of Police Notification — A Stop- 
over at Rouen, the City of Churches — The 
Irony of the Rehabilitation of the " Maid of 
Orleans," and the Human Tragedy of Her Life — 
Memorandum of Expenses. 

As far as cost is concerned it comes to very 
much the same whether you go direct from 
Belgium to Paris or via London, if Paris 
is not to be your final destination and the 
apex of your journey. 

The French capital is five hours journey 
by rail from Ostend, three from Brussels. 
In one case the advantage of the Belgian 
circular touring ticket is lost, (since it is 
limited) and in the other, the channel must 
be recrossed somewhat unnecessarily. This, 
however, is offset by the fact that by first 
returning to England more parts of Belgium 
us 



u6 How to Visit Europe 

can be visited on the way. Ypres, for in- 
stance, a little off the usual route, is well 
worth seeing. Malins and Tournai have 
charms of their own. And when at Antwerp 
the Dutch frontier is only a short distance 
off, it could easily be included in a broad 
sweep of travel. 

We, being elated with our success in jour- 
neying, and delighted with the manner in 
which our pocket-books retained their firm- 
ness of outline, determined to venture 
further afield. The Riviera should know 
us — we would enter Italy if but a yard 
across her border! 

There is a choice of diverse routes from 
London, and, as competition is keen, rates 
differ but slightly. The fare for a second- 
class, 45 day return ticket to Monte Carlo, 
the heart of the French Riviera, with stop- 
over privileges at Paris and various import- 
ant continental cities, is $44.50 by the South 
Eastern Chatham R, R. and this is a fair 
average rate for the shorter channel cross- 
ings; the lowest is $37.50. The London 



On Next to Nothing 117 

and South Western Railway, via Southamp- 
ton and Havre seems about the least expen- 
sive. The route (that by Newhaven and 
Dieppe) advertised as u the cheapest" is in 
reality dearer by $2 or $2.50. This way is 
very pleasant if a daylight journey be desired. 
For a night crossing the Southampton-Havre 
way is good, since there is time for a comfor- 
table night's rest aboard. You sail at mid- 
night and arrive at seven or eight o'clock 
next morning. Breakfast will be served on 
the ship, or else a meal can be snatched at 
the railway station. 

If you only want to go to Paris the cost 
of the return ticket from London by this 
route would be $10.00. This includes a 
berth in the general cabin, where there is 
accommodation for some twenty persons. 
Private cabins for two and four persons can 
be had by going first class. The difference 
in fare is $1.25 per person each way. Sec- 
ond-class travellers are usually the smaller 
business people, teachers, and the French, 
who have been visiting England. 



n8 How to Visit Europe 

It was when taking our tickets for Paris 
that we discovered a reason for going direct 
to the company rather than to a tourist 
agency. The latter will not reserve sleeping 
accommodation this means that if the boat 
be crowded, a deck chair and a rug are likely 
to be your fate. 

My advice to anyone would be to select a 
route that includes Rouen. Whatever 
else be omitted this must not be. It sounds 
rather trite to say that it is a city of cathe- 
drals but somehow that is the first and last 
memory of Rouen. For the rest it is a 
panorama of a winding river, with wooded 
slopes beyond, twisting streets, towers, spires 
against an azure sky — everything that 
vitalises the word " charm " — that, and 
souvenirs of Joan of Arc. 

Rouen is unlike the towns of Belgium in 
that it caters little for the needs of transients 
desiring temporary quarters other than in 
hotels. If there are rooms or furnished 
flats to be let, they are well hidden. This 
matters the less because the hotels are good 



On Next to Nothing 119 

and cheap, and the sights of Rouen are 
within easy reach of each other. 

We settled ourselves on the Quai de la 
Bourse where the hotel rates average nine 
or ten francs a day. This is in a capital posi- 
tion. We were exceedingly comfortable 
and our long, balustraded windows faced 
upon the river up which passed a perfect 
stream of picturesque vessels. Large ones 
starting for Havre or Paris, sailing ships 
bringing valuable cargoes from across the 
sea, and barges drifting slowly down from 
the interior. 

I wonder if any other place in all the 
world holds more wonderful churches than 
Rouen? The Cathedral, in which lies the 
heart of Richard Coeur-de-Lion, is a thing 
apart, with its 399 statues looking down 
from their niches, and its splendid " Butter " 
Tower rearing its height above the rest of 
the buildings and so christened because it 
was built by the sum accumulated from per- 
mitting the eating of butter in Lent! 
Candles on the many side altars look like 
glowworms in the vastness. You are for- 



120 How to Visit Europe 

tunate if you can hear a musical mass, for 
such are famous here. St. Gothard's is a 
glory of colour with 136 wonderful windows, 
St. Ouen is surely one of the loveliest Gothic 
chapels ever built, while St. Maclou seems 
more elaborate and gorgeous than any other, 
and is called one of the gems of France. 
It has taken thousands of years to build, and 
has had a stormy history. In the sixteenth 
century the Hugonots lighted bonfires in 
the naves. In the eighteenth, the revolution- 
ists used it as a manufactory of arms, and 
built a forge where the main altar now 
stands. A walk round the roof above the 
extraordinary gargoyles of any of these 
churches gives a fine idea of Rouen — but, oh, 
the obscurity and darkness of the spiral 
stairways! We found ourselves beating 
vainly against the stone wall of that in the 
cathedral, and were forced to feel our way 
down again to ask for a light. The cheer- 
ful custodian obligingly rewarded us with 
one of the candles intended for the saints ! 
It is curious to turn from the grandeur 



On Next to Nothing 121 

and tranquillity of these well kept churches 
to find St. Laurent. Here, commercialism 
has triumphed over religion. Its towers 
rear above small stores — Why was it sin- 
gled out for desecration, we wonder, while 
the others were saved? 

There is plenty to see in Rouen, the Palais 
de Justice, museum, picture gallery, the 
Tower of the Grosse Horlege, and, within 
easy reach up and down the charming stretch 
of the Seine, are the ruins of abbeys and cas- 
tles. But all is forgotten when once one real- 
ises the story of Joan of Arc, for Rouen is 
indelibly associated with her name. The 
artist who placed the gleaming white statue 
of the Maid in the gloomy peaked tower, 
had strong dramatic instinct. The purity 
of the marble heightens the effect of 
the dungeon wherein the heroine once lay — 
a prisoner. The bravely truthful, tragic 
words, pronounced in the torture chamber 
and now engraved upon the dungeon walls 
recreate her in the imagination as they are 
read: 



122 How to Visit Europe 

". . . vraiment, se vous me deviez faire 
detraite les membres et faire partir V ame 
hors du corps se ne vour diray-je autre chose, 
et se aucune chose vous en disoye-je, appres 
si disoye-je tous jours que vous le me durees 
fait dire par force" 

The little statues of the maid in her short 
skirts help you to picture the fair-haired vil- 
lage child who went from Domremy to face 
the Commandment of Vaucouleurs and ask 
an escort of soldiers. Her reason? That 
she had been directed by God to go to the 
King, to fight for him and win back her coun- 
try from the English conquerors. Small 
wonder that the soldiers thought her mad, 
and advised that she be whipped and taken 
back to her own village. But the " Voices " 
would not be stilled, and the girl, working 
about the farm, saw visions of herself lead- 
ing soldiers to victory and crowning a king 
at Rheims. Again and again she applied 
for the soldiers in order that she might obey 
a heaven-sent mandate. And at last the 
commandant yielded, gave her soldiers and 



On Next to Nothing 123 

sent her to the king. The next ordeal was 
to face a board of learned men to convince 
them of her sanity and the truth of her mis- 
sion. She succeeded. Then the seventeen 
year old girl led forth an army, and in the 
ranks princes and war-worn veterans took 
their place. In three tremendous assaults 
she lifted the siege that for seven long 
months had beset Orleans, and by so doing 
won the title by which she is known to this 
day—" The Maid of Orleans." It was but 
the beginning of her victories; she fought on, 
and triumph succeeded triumph, until in eight 
weeks she broke the English power in France 
which had lain like a shadow across French 
hearts close on 300 years. And then she 
went to Rheims to carry out the last part of 
her vision and set the crown upon the brow 
of France's king. 

If you have time, go to Rheims; if not, 
stand in the cathedral here in Rouen and re- 
construct the scene — the king, his nobles and 
soldiers, the visionary-eyed child, and in the 
background the wondering peasants from 



i24 How to Visit Europe 

her village, a little deputation headed by the 
father of Jeanne d'Arc. 

" What reward did she want? " asked the 
king. And the kneeling girl, ask the re- 
mission of taxation for her village, and, for 
herself, since her task was fulfilled, permis- 
sion to return to Domremy with her father. 
The first request was granted readily enough, 
(though short memoried France has now 
forgotten her gratitude), but the second was 
laughed to scorn. First, she must drive the 
English from Paris. 

But Jeanne had looked into the future and 
her fears were justified. No more was her's 
an uninterrupted career of success; a short 
time later she found herself a prisoner, held 
to ransom for $12,000. 

She waited in growing bitterness for al- 
most six months. Once she tried to escape, 
but, her rope breaking, she failed. At last 
the Bishop of Beauvais paid the money and 
got possession of her for the church, in order 
that she might be tried for witchcraft, and 
for the crime of wearing male attire. It 
was in this sombre tower in Rouen that she 



On Next to Nothing 125 

awaited trial. Her judges were in despair, 
no incriminating evidence could be got from 
her. Then the bishop from her own village 
came, and she told him of her " visions " 
and the " voices " that had directed her. He 
betrayed her, judgment was speedy, and she 
was handed over to the English to be burnt 
at the stake where the tablet now marks the 
scene of the tragedy. Her last cry, as the 
flames rose about her, was a prayer for her 
country. 

Then came the irony of it all. Some 
twenty-five years later unpleasant questions 
were asked regarding the validity of the 
position of a king who had been established 
upon the throne by a witch — hence the " Re- 
habilitation of Jeanne d'Arc." To-day she 
is classed as a saint. 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 
Fare from London to the Riviera with stopover 

privileges $37-5° 

Breakfast, cab, etc. (en route to Rouen) 60 

Hotel at Rouen, two days 3.60 

Entrance fees, tips, etc 2.00 

$43.70 



CHAPTER XIII 

In France — " Conseils Pratique " — Hotels and their 
Inquisitorial Papers — Latin Quarter Hints, Stu- 
dents, Hostelries, Clubs and Restaurants — French 
Tipping Rule—" Tip Often but Tip Little," — Rules 
Regarding Omnibuses. 

Who was it first said " Good Americans, 
when they die, go to Paris? " We are here 
now and somehow it does not seem exactly 
my idea of Paradise — and yet Paris has 
smiled upon us. Our arrival was made 
after nightfall when the city was a-glimmer 
with light. We dined at a restaurant beside 
St. Lazare, then, in the charge of a friendly 
" cocher " drove to an address given by a 
friend, the Grand Hotel Passy de Passy, 10 
Rue de Passy. As we rolled through the 
smooth, broad thoroughfares, our obliging 
charioteer indicated landmarks previously 
known to us by name; in the intervals we 
listened to the tiny click of the taximeter 
126 



On Next to Nothing 127 

registering that a certain distance had been 
traversed and we had spent another penny! 

How can one keep count of days and 
nights in Paris? They pass like the wind; 
so first let me tell of practical matters. 

The well known and central hotels are of 
course expensive, therefore we decided to 
remain in Passy. It is conveniently situated, 
being within easy reach of the best parts of 
Paris, the Champs Elysees and the Bois de 
Boulogne. Then, too, the Eiffel Tower 
serves as a landmark, be you where you may. 
There is an excellent choice of means of 
transportation — cars, omnibuses and under- 
ground trains go in every direction and there 
are a goodly number of boats on the Seine, 
this is of course the pleasantest, though the 
slowest method of travel. Taximeter cabs, 
too, can be obtained at really nominal rates, 
fifteen cents being the minimum charge. 

By taking our room by the week — or 
rather rooms, for the apartment consisted of 
a suite of three tiny " chambres," the rate 
was reduced to three francs a night. Break- 
fast was served to us at a small table in the 



128 How to Visit Europe 

big, cool s all e- a- manger on the ground floor. 
It was a French breakfast, of course, con- 
sisting only of coffee and rolls. When we 
wanted something more substantial, we or- 
dered " ceufs a la coque/' and paid an addi- 
tional couple of cents apiece for perfectly- 
boiled, new-laid eggs. 

If, instead of going to Passy, we had 
ventured to the Latin quarter on the " Left 
Bank" (of the Seine) , as we determined to do 
if any time remained upon our return from 
the Riviera, we should have spent much less. 
Even near the station of Montparnasse, for 
instance, two francs a night is an ordinary 
price for a capital room. In the immediate 
environs of the Boulevard St. Michel, the 
main artery of the Quartier Latin, rates go 
even lower. Take rooms by the month and 
they can be had from three dollars. This is 
the charge at the Grand Hotel Saint Malo, 
number 2 Rue d'Odessa. At 44 Rue 
Madame, a particularly clean little place, as 
nice a room as a young student could want 
is to be obtained for five dollars a month 



On Next to Nothing 129 

with an extra dollar for service. If per- 
chance these are full, or do not suit, there 
are the Grand Hotel Tarranne, 153 Boule- 
vard St. Germain, and the Hotel de Lon- 
dres on the Rue Bonaparte with accom- 
modations at much the same rate. You live 
as you please at these hotels, and are in no 
way obliged to take your meals upon the 
premises, which is fortunate, for the quarter 
abounds in odd little restaurants of mira- 
culous prices. In going to them, too, you 
will be sure to encounter students of your 
own nationality, be it what it may. If you 
particularly want to meet students and so 
see something of the real life of the locality, 
it could doubtless be managed through the 
mens' club on the Rue Notre Dame des 
Champs, or the girls' at 4 Rue de Chever- 
euse. 

To return to the subject of meals you 
could not want a better than you could find 
at the Grand Restaurant, 10 Rue Sainte 
Placide, and it can be had either at a fixed 
price, or according to what you choose from 



ijo How to Visit Europe 

the plainly marked menu. A place much 
patronised by men art students is the Procop 
on the Rue Mazarin, here wine is included 
for twenty cents, the Bouillon Georges on 
the same street is also well known to econ- 
omically minded students. At 14 Rue du 
Bac, upstairs, a dejeuner of meat, vegetables 
and bread is served for fifteen cents, and 
tips are considered out of order. A few 
doors off there is the Restaurant de la Garde 
with four courses and wine for a quarter. 
The Maison Lemasson, Passage Potier 
gives an hors-d'euvre (or soup), meat, vege- 
tables (or fish), dessert, and half a bottle of 
wine with " bread at discretion " for one 
franc twenty-five centimes. The Maison 
Bordeaux, 167 Rue de Rennes, one of the 
oldest cafes in the Montparnasse dis- 
trict, is a trifle more expensive, dejeuner is 
served at one franc fifty, dinners at two, 
(forty cents), but you have a good choice. 
At the majority of these places a couple of 
sous is sufficient for the waiter, the more ex- 
pensive ones want double this modest sum, 



On Next to Nothing 131 

while if you wish to be really generous, the 
new nickle coin (worth five cents) is decid- 
edly convenient. 

On all the menus there is an imploring 
appeal — " Visitors are prayed not to nour- 
ish their dogs upon the materials of the 
house! " 

But these restaurants are more or less in 
the students' quarter. It is just as well to 
know where to go in other districts, for some 
of the prices asked are certainly enormous. 
The Duval establishments are well known 
and much patronised. Their only fault is that 
it is sometimes difficult to obtain a table. 
These restaurants are in every locality and 
in them you can spend what you like. 
When you enter, a card is presented 
to you, on which are columns with 
various prices above them. The dishes you 
select are marked on this; one, for instance, 
in the twenty centimes section, two in the 
forty, one in the sixty. These can be com- 
pared, at a glance, with the prices marked 
upon the menu. It is always well to verify 



132 How to Visit Europe 

the calculations yourself; the French have 
weak heads where arithmetic is concerned. 
At most of these places, while bread is 
served free " at discretion,'' serviettes and 
water are charged for. Almost invariably 
ten centimes (two cents) more than the cor- 
rect price is charged should no kind of drink 
be taken. A choice of tea, coffee, wine, cider, 
milk and mineral water, is given. 

It is rather fun, after a course of quaint, 
out of the way restaurants, to go to the other 
extreme, for a night or two, and visit the 
fashionable cafes. Those on the Rue de 
Rivoli and in the wide courtyard by the. 
Palais Royal, are enjoyable. In the latter 
the white clothed tables set out in the open 
air, sheltered from the wind by trees in tubs, 
and from threatened showers by a quickly 
moveable, striped awning, certainly have 
great charm. The pleasure may be had for 
any sum between four and ten francs a meal. 
Some people dislike the open air life led by 
many in Paris, and object to pedestrians 
perpetually passing among the tables, but we 
enjoyed it thoroughly. 



On Next to Nothing 133 

Another novelty in which we found amuse- 
ment was the inquisitorial papers encount- 
ered at the French hotels. They are 
handed to you almost before you decide 
upon your room, such is the desire of the 
proprietors to keep within the letter of the 
law. 'Why?' we asked, as we groaningly 
filled them in, * should the government desire 
to know such details about us? ' Our names 
and given names are required, professions, 
the dates of our respective births, not only 
the years, but the days, months, and place 
of the event, the address of our home 
" domicile," our nationality, the time we en- 
tered France, where we come from, whither 
going, when and why I Are such facts re- 
quired only because occupation must be 
found for a vast band of " fonctionnaire"? 

A wise thing to do, when going to stay 
in France is to take a passport. It is very 
satisfying to the French mind, on account of 
its seals, is useful if only for identification 
purposes, and invaluable if anything goes 
wrong. The Prefect of Police charges 
nothing for stamping it. 



134 How to Visit Europe 

Now for one more hint regarding means 
of transportation. Unless you are pos- 
sessed of unlimited daring and patience, ven- 
ture not underground. The more changes 
he can get for his money, the more pleased 
the Frenchman seems to be — to a foreigner 
repeated dashes in and out of trains, upstairs 
and down, are decidedly confusing. Guides 
are almost a necessity until you have mas- 
tered the intricate mysteries of the system ! 

As for the cars, remember always that if 
you wish to board one during the busy hours 
it is essential first to obtain a ticket from the 
little kiosks at the stopping stations. With- 
out one you will not be allowed in, unless 
there is plenty of room. Those holding the 
lowest numbers are admitted first. The 
fare outside is three cents, inside, double. 
But inside, transfers are given free, outside 
they cost good sovs! 

Another thing to remember, in your jour- 
ney in France, is that tipping is universal. 
Luckily, though, it is on such a small scale 
that it causes little inconvenience. A dime 



On Next to Nothing 135 

is generous on most occasions, the nickle 
seems to give satisfaction, while few 
disdain coppers. These were the hints 
given to me by French people. Tip often 
and little, is a good rule. Do not give 
on the American or English scale ; if you do, 
rather than gratitude, you will receive scorn 
for your folly and ignorance of the French 
custom. Most Americans abroad will tell 
you it is when they have given at double or 
treble the market rate that they have en- 
countered rudeness. And now I can set 
aside my " Conseils pratique " and turn to 
the joy of a holiday in Paris. 



CHAPTER XIV 

The Joys of Paris; What to See; Napoleon's Tomb, 
the Louvre, Luxembourg, Notre Dame, Ste. Chap- 
elle, the Conciergerie — Prison of Tragic Memories 
— The Markets and Boulevards — Versailles and 
When to go There, St. Cloud, and the Abso- 
lute Necessity of Seeing it; River Excursion 
Thereto, with tea in the Chalet at the end of it 
Memorandum of Expenses. 

Yes, now for the joys of Paris and accord- 
ing to our experience these are not to be 
found in a painstaking study of the city ac- 
cording to the routine of guide books, but 
rather in wandering where fancy dictates 
or eyes may tempt. Follow up any entranc- 
ing street until its charms wane. Choose 
not only the avenues, the Rue de la Paix 
with its famous stores, the Avenue l'Opera, 
or the Rue St. Honore, but those others 
down near Notre Dame. That section known 
as L'lle de la Cite is the oldest part of Paris 
— it was a town in the time of Julius 
Caesar. 

136 



On Next to Nothing 137 

The curious, turning, lane-like streets on 
the " Left Bank" (of the Seine) the Boule- 
vard St. Michel (the main artery of the Lat- 
in Quarter), and the streets radiating from 
it, are all distinctively Parisian. 

Long excursions upon the top of omni- 
buses or cars have their charm, if you lay 
out a plan of campaign by means of a map of 
Paris, and a capital bird's-eye view of the 
city can be obtained in this way. 

Another excursion that simply must be 
made, is to St. Cloud. Something like a dime 
will take you there by river, and there can be 
no fairer place for afternoon tea than the 
little chalet in the splendid garden. Nor can 
a finer view be had than that from the ter- 
race over the winding river. The monu- 
ments and noted towers of Paris stand out 
splendidly. 

Versailles is another place that should on 
no account be omitted. Choose a day when 
the cascades are playing and go early. The 
halls wherein once stepped Mesdames du 
Barry and de Pompadour, will engross you 



138 How to Visit Europe 

for hours ; there seem to be miles of pictures 
upon the walls. Millions have been spent 
upon the gardens and almost as much more 
upon the Trianons, in the smaller of which 
the young queen, Marie Antoinette, played 
at the joys of peasant life in that brief 
period when she was ignorant of the coming 
revolution. 

What shall I say of Paris itself — and of 
the places that one visits as a matter of 
course? Could anybody, going to Paris 
omit Napoleon's Tomb, the Louvre, that 
splendid collection of modern pictures and 
statues to be found at the Luxembourg, 
stately Notre Dame standing apart on its 
island, or that gem of gems, Sainte Chapelle, 
under the shadow of the Conciergerie — 
prison of tragic memories! Madame 
Roland, Danton, Desmoulins, Robespierre 
and Marie Antoinette were all held prison- 
ers here, and their cells may be seen to-day. 

But such sights as these can only be pro- 
perly appreciated if they are seen as inter- 
ludes. To this end, take many rambles, 



On Next to Nothing [139 

Parisian rambles; it is only so that the at- 
mosphere of Paris can be felt. For in- 
stance rise in the early mornings and go to 
the great markets; those of flowers and 
birds are famous. A picturesque gathering 
can be seen any Tuesday or Friday outside 
the Madeleine. It almost feels as though 
the country had come to pass a day in the 
city, such is the strength of the scent of the 
fresh, sweet blossoms. 

• . • • . 

Does any one, I wonder, stand for the 
first time above the tomb of Napoleon with- 
out a certain sense of awe? It is so marvel- 
lously set forth. Picture, a great paved 
hallway, a circular, marble balustrade in the 
centre, beyond this an altar flooded with 
golden light from the windows in the niche. 
Look over the marble way. Beneath it, in a 
circular crypt, stands a tremendous sarco- 
phagus hewn out of a single block of granite. 
This is the actual tomb of " the little Cor- 
poral." Twelve gigantic figures of Victory 
bearing as trophies the battle flags taken by. 



140 How to Visit Europe 

Napoleon from Austria, England and Rus- 
sia, give a dramatic touch to what might 
otherwise have been sombre. At the door 
of the crypt are two more colossi in bronze. 
One bears a sceptre and an imperial crown, 
the other a globe. (Surely the sculptor 
should have added a sword?) The door- 
way is cast from the cannon taken at Auster- 
litz. 

The strangeness and unexpectedness of 
the setting is most impressive. Tradition 
has it that this design was determined upon 
so that the highest in the world should be 
compelled to bow their heads before the 
tomb of France's hero. It was in the court- 
yard without that a great pyramid of flags 
and other trophies of Napoleon were burnt 
on the eve of the entering of the allies into 
Paris in order that such cherished posses- 
sions might not fall into alien hands. 

Comrade and I crossed the wide bridge 
of Alexander III. and turned to look back 
at the gilded tomb, feeling that further de- 
liberate sightseeing would be a kind of anti- 
climax. The Place de la Concorde, rightly 



On Next to Nothing 141 

judged one of the finest spaces in all the 
world, lay before us. In one direction 
stretched the wide avenue of the Champs 
Elysees; at the upper end stood the Arc de 
Triomphe, the setting sun crowning its glory. 
We turned and faced the gardens of the 
Tuilleries. It was to this palace (two wings 
of which are all that remain) that Louis 
XVI. was brought by a mob to be installed 
in mockery. It was here, too, that Napoleon 
lived with Josephine, and the Empress 
Eugenie learnt that she must fly. 

Shut your eyes for a moment as you stand 
in this Place de la Concorde. Here the 
guillotine was erected. Let the whirr of the 
ceaseless wheels die away and you may hear 
instead the click of the knitting needles of 
the women of the Foubourg St. Antoine as 
they watch the heads of the victims fall into 
the basket. It is terribly, literally true, that 
the very gutters have run with blood. Two 
thousand people have faced death on the 
Place de la Concorde by looking through 
the " little window " of the guillotine. Al- 
most as many more were trampled to death, 



;i42 How to Visit Europe 

in the same space, on the occasion of a wild 
panic at the time of the marriage of the 
Dauphin of France to Marie Antionette. 
What stories could the stones tell if they 
had speech I Tales of alien soldiers en- 
camped here — German and Russian and 
English. Tales, too, of famine and pesti- 
lence. . . . Ah, there is black tragedy in 
Paris as well as glitter. Hardly a street 
but has some such memories. The sudden 
realisation of it oppressed Comrade, and we 
crossed to the Rue de Rivoli to distract our- 
selves with store windows, completed the 
cure by tea at Kardomah near the Louvre, 
caught the last airs of a military concert in 
the park, and then crossed the river to rum- 
mage among the book stalls and cases of 
relics that edge the banks between the 
bridges and are such a feature of Parisian 
life. 

Days go fast in Paris. Nights still 
faster. What is the charm of the place that 
despite well laid morning plans, nightfall 
will find half unaccomplished? With a 



On Next to Nothing 143 

little energy it should be possible to climb 
the Eiffel Tower, visit the Sevres porcelain 
factories, hear a mass at the Madeleine, drop 
in at a museum and wind up at the opera, 
after a drive in the Bois de Boulogne. But it 
is not. The monuments alone distract you 
from any settled plan. What other city in 
the world can show an equal number of 
groups impossible to pass? But then Paris 
is certainly a stage-like city. It is built for 
show — laid out and planned ruthlessly, and 
at the cost of many millions. 

I have said the nights fly faster than the 
days. The whole drama of life passes on 
the boulevards. The wealth and glitter of 
it is seen at the cafes chantants on the 
Champs Elysees, chief among which is the 
" Ambassadeurs." The tragedy, in those who 
walk the streets, actors for the audience that 
sits until long past midnight, drinking black 
coffee at the crowded little tables on the side 
walks. 

• • • • • 

Does any one leave Paris without making 
plans for a speedy return? It is so easy to 



144 How T0 Visit Europe 

say it — so difficult to find the opportunity — 
and yet it sounds simple to " break the jour- 
ney there again." This was the bribe I of- 
fered Comrade to induce an immediate pack- 
ing and departure for the South. 

Fontainebleau was postponed. From all 
we had heard we had concluded that it could 
not be done in a hurry, time was flying fast. 
On our return from the Riviera, therefore, 
we decided to linger at Barbizon to rest and 
gather strength for a few more strenuous 
days in the most brilliant city in France — 
when one looks on the surface, forgets the 
past, and ignores the temperament that may 
bring tragedy again. 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 

Room at three francs a night (seven nights) $ 4.20 

Breakfast (one franc average) 1 .40 

Dejeuners (usually one franc fifty) 2.10 

Dinners (four at two francs, three at five francs) 4.60 
Extras, fares, entrances, tips and personal 6.36 

$18.66 



CHAPTER XV 

Monte Carlo — Pensions, Hotels and Restaurants, 
Rooms, Prices and Localities — The Casino and how- 
to Obtain Entrance Thereto— "The Man Who 
Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo"— Our Deter- 
mination to Rival Him and the Result— Con- 
certs, Operas, Various Entertainments — Legends 
and Superstitions of the Place. 

" Monte Carlo? My dear I Such a dis- 
tance ! " exclaimed many English people 
when they heard of our project. We 
laughed them to scorn. What to us was a 
railway journey of thirteen and a half hours 1 
duration? And the speediest trains from 
Paris invariably reach the Cote d'Azur in 
this, their scheduled time. 

The " season " in Monte Carlo begins 
early in November and endures until April. 
. . . This being so, we arrived to find the 
Siren City of the Riviera a kind of sleeping 
beauty. The drawing rooms in most of the 
great hotels were swathed in white drap- 
145 



146 How to Visit Europe 

eries, heavy shades shut out the brilliant 
sunlight, and branches of pine and fragrant 
herbs covered the few rugs that had been 
left upon the floors. The best shops seemed 
hermetically sealed. " English spoken here," 
inscribed on the windows of the few re- 
maining open, meant nothing. If we inad- 
vertently used that language it was received 
with shrugs and uncomprehending smiles — 
" Our English has not come yet." It is not 
to be wondered at, for few save continentals 
find their way south in the summertime. 
The English speaking races are at once the 
worst linguists and the greatest spenders. 

For those who love warmth and light 
there can be no fairer place even in the 
height of summer. Picture to yourself a 
tiny city of white palaces built on a high rock 
which juts out into the Mediterranean and 
is fenced off from the rest of the world by 
the barrier of the Alpes Maritimes. 

Have you heard that Monte Carlo is 
" such a wicked place? " Without doubt it 



On Next to Nothing 147 

must be. Its population, in the season, is 
enormous, considering the size of the place, 
and the great majority are men and women 
with a spice of recklessness in their blood. 
They are those who worship the Goddess 
Chance. People will tell you of 400 suicides 
a year in the little principality; of an annual 
press subsidy reaching into six figures, paid in 
order that tragic tales may be suppressed; 
and of other vast sums given to those who 
have stayed too long at the green baize 
tables, to the end that they may go back to 
their own countries. The administration 
desires above all things to keep down the 
numbers of those who annually find a grave 
in the suicides' cemetery on the hill, or a last 
resting place beneath the waters of the Med- 
iterranean. But of this tragic side you need 
see nothing — can see nothing unless by some 
fluke of circumstances. It is all buried 
deeply. Forget, then, that it is there, and 
take the joys that are here offered to you in 
generous profusion. Never was such a 
place for fetes ! Especially if you are lucky 



148 How to Visit Europe 

enough to arrive either at the beginning or 
end of the season and can stay long enough 
to catch a glimpse of both kinds of life. 
Ask for the " Monte Carlo Notes," issued 
by the Metropole, or you will miss half of 
these batttles of flowers, and confetti, to say 
nothing of the religious and commemorative 
processions; scenes that are sometimes 
enacted at dead of the night, and are unique 
of their kind, at least in the eyes of all who 
are not blase. 

The Casino, of course, is what attracts the 
majority. It stands on the plateau of rock 
known in the days of the Saracens as " The 
Plain of the Robbers," and is visible from 
afar. 

Present your card at the bureau in the 
first hall, fill in the form that will be given 
to you — and the magic doors swing open. 
The entrance fee is nil. This " billet," 
however, must be renewed each day until the 
correctness of your behaviour is beyond 
doubt, when one for a longer period will be 
granted, though always upon the understand- 



On Next to Nothing 149 

ing that it may be withdrawn at any moment, 
and without stated reason. 

The same ticket gives admission to the 
splendidly equipped writing and reading 
rooms, (wherein are gathered newspapers 
from almost every civilised country,) and 
also to all the concerts except the " specials." 

Let me give you one emphatic word of 
warning. Don't lose the charm of what a 
first impression may be by going direct to 
the Casino — unless, by chance, you arrive 
after dark. 

Spend the morning rather in Old Monaco 
— in the gardens on the edge of the rock — 
or in the ancient palace of the Grimaldi 
wherein, until quite recently, reigned an 
American girl. In the afternoon rest on 
the sun flooded terrace of the Casino, listen- 
ing to one of the best orchestras in all 
Europe. It plays in the gay kiosk at the 
other end of the upper terrace from the 
marble whispering gallery. You may sit at 
the cafe tables or else under the shade of 
palms and orange trees. When the sun 



150 How to Visit Europe 

droops behind the Tete-de-Chien and tints the 
Alpes to purple, go you to dine at any of the 
famous restaurants you please. The Hotel 
de Paris, the Grand (if it be open) Ciro's, 
the Metropole upon the Gallerie Charles, or, 
if the demon of extravagance has not yet 
caught you, at one of the lesser lights — the 
Prince de Galles, Windsor, or that nearby 
and modest hostelry the Hotel de l'Europe. 
Then when night has fallen and the luck 
bringing fireflies sparkle in the orange 
groves, go to the Casino. ... In the day- 
light disillusion waits on the threshold. 
The halls seem the resort of ruined gamblers 
and of those who can ill afford to lose. At 
night tragedy is forgotten, all is glitter and 
froth — play runs high as the hours go on. 

With a growing sense of excitement we 
passed among the chattering, gorgeous 
groups in the nobly proportioned Atrium. 
Vague sentences concerning the place danced 
through our brain — " The plague spot of 
Europe " ... the Siren of the World" 
. . . half remembered fragments of forgot- 



On Next to Nothing 151 

ten tales recurred to us. . . . Stories of men 
who had won great fortunes and of others 
who had lost wealth, honor and life. . . . 
And everything seemed set to the tune of 
" The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte 
Carlo! . ,., . The doors swung behind us, 
and we were in the Casino. The many 
lights were ablaze. Those in the great 
crown-like chandeliers overhead and those in 
the heavy swinging lamps above the tables. 
It was the hour when the richness of the 
whole scene is best shown to advantage, 
when the hangings seem most silken, the pic- 
tures yet more delicate, the leather couches 
more mellow in tone and the inlaid floor 
more highly polished. 

It was quiet in these magnificent halls, but 
not too quiet. Tension and strain come 
later, usually in the further red-hung room 
where trente-et quarante takes the place of 
roulette. 

Here and there came a ripple of laughter 
from a gay group of friends. Some are 
walking about. Echoes of light badinage 



152 How to Visit Europe 

reach us. Others are watching the players 
— the whirl of the revolving roulette wheel 
— the movements of the little white ivory 
ball — or the impassive croupiers as they 
rake in the lost money and pay out gold and 
silver to the winners. 

Footmen in blue and silver liveries pass 
about, picking up this lady's handkerchief, 
gathering together a handful of dropped 
coins for another, or searching under a table 
for some unfortunate's last louis. 

Disconnected fragments of many lan- 
guages — French, Spanish, Italian and odd, 
unknown tongues — float on the warm per- 
fumed air. The windows towards the 
Mediterranean are open, but the rhythm of 
music overpowers the murmur of the " tide- 
less sea." 

Comrade and I sat on a luxurious couch 
and watched the scene before us with inter- 
est and amazement. Some men were in 
evening dress, some wore serge. Women 
passed in trailing silks, their bare throats 
sparkling with jewels. Others wore tailor- 



On Next to Nothing 153 

built models. Some were white-haired, 
some seemed in the first dawn of youth. 

Suddenly we became aware that the gen- 
eral attention was focussed about a certain 
table. Others became deserted by onlook- 
ers. We followed the greater number and 
saw a fair-haired boy, sitting with money in 
actual piles before him. Gold and silver lay 
in masses. Notes were in a pyramid full 
nine inches high. The ball spun and we 
watched breathlessly. The young player 
staked his coins, the ball ran on its frantic 
course — and once again the croupier paid out 
to the winner ! 

A spirit of excitement seized us. 

" It's only a five franc piece — that never 
feels like " real money," said Comrade, 
emulating me as I opened my purse in a 
hurry. . . . We follow the lead of this 
young hero — we would win as much as he I 
. . . Visions of breaking the bank made our 
brains swim. The refrain of that erstwhile 
popular song sounded maddeningly loud. 
. . . Alas! We were too late I An un- 



154 How T0 Visit Europe 

obtrusive man, who, watch in hand, had been 
standing behind the leading player, now 
caught him by the shoulder. ..." Not an- 
other turn! We can only just do it if we 
run this second ! " he cried. " The train 
goes in four minutes." The other sprang to 
his feet with an excited laugh. Between 
them they gathered up the money in hand- 
fuls, and, amid a chorus of regret from the 
habitual players who hate to see a run of 
luck interrupted by departure, the two 
rushed from the room. 

"He will come back," said one croupier 
to another with a significant glance as he 
raked up the few coins the boy had not had 
time to snatch. " He has had the begin- 
ner's luck." 

As the night wore on we caught yet more 
deeply the spirit of it all. Monte Carlo was 
for us a great stage. We found ourselves 
searching for the heroine among the fair 
women who floated by, queens of lightness 
and laughter. Which of the men was the 
hero? Should he be of the Antipodes — or 



On Next to Nothing 155 

from the West — or a Briton from the 
"little island in the North Sea?" . . . 
And the villain of the piece? Was 
it this Spanish grandee, that king in mufti, 
or the Russian grand duke, once an exile on 
Siberian slopes, now a favorite at the court 
of the Great White Tzar? 

{Note. Memorandum of expenses will 
be given at the end of the next chapter.) 



CHAPTER XVI 

On the Cote d'Azur — Mentone, Nice, and the Car- 
nivals — Fishing Villages, Mountain Walking 
Tours, and an Excursion over the Border into 
Italy — A Casting of Accounts— Return to London 
— Total Memorandum of Expenses. 

Our holiday is drawing to a close and the 
time has come for the casting up of accounts. 

According to the calendar sixty-six days 
have elapsed since we first set foot on 
Europe. Judging by the number of new im- 
pressions we have received, I should write 
" years " instead of " days." If I measured 
the space by the way the time has flown I 
might well put "hours." In addition to 
these sixty-six days, fourteen were spent on 
the journey and a like number must be al- 
lowed for the return. Exclusive of the time 
we may spend upon the Riviera, our holiday 
will have lasted thirteen weeks. 

I have put down the sums I have spent, 
156* 



On Next to Nothing 157 

and I still have seventy dollars in hand 
from the original $300 I set aside 
for this wonderful European trip. What 
must I add to this? Thirty-eight dollars 
for the return fare from England to the 
United States, something for incidental 
expenses en route from here to England — 
the actual fares are paid, thank Providence 
— another five might well vanish should we 
decide to spend an extra day or so in Lon- 
don. According to the rate at which we have 
been spending, our funds might almost 
last a month if need be. . . . Alas! Time 
is passing fast. 

• • • • • 

Monte Carlo is a place where you can 
spend as much or as little as you please. 
Then, too, prices vary greatly according to 
the time of year. Three or four thousand 
francs will be asked in " La Saison," for a 
furnished flat that five dollars a week will 
rent at another period. 

There is an immense variety of accommo- 
dation offered in Monte Carlo. Pensions 



158 How to Visit Europe • 

along the Boulevard du Moulin provide 
good board and lodging for seven or eight 
francs a day. You could live at the inex- 
pensive hotels — such as De l'Europe — 
for ten or twelve. Furnished rooms can be 
had for five, seven and ten francs a week 
out of the season — near that time they are 
sometimes only obtainable for a period. 

It is well to live as near the Casino as 
possible, not down the Condamine; that sec- 
tion, being lower, is not so healthy. 

When exploring, in our first ecstasy of de- 
light at being actually on the Riviera, Com- 
rade and I had come upon a flight of cobble- 
stone steps leading down from the Boule- 
vard du Moulin. Midway was a narrow 
flagged corridor-like road, its name reminis- 
cent of that period when Italy owned this 
mountain shelf. Desiring to ask questions 
we had opened a high gateway and so come 
upon a vine covered arbor where a white 
bearded old Frenchman and his wife were 
sitting at dejeuner. The view was superb. 
The hill dropped away in terrace after ter- 



On Next to Nothing 159 

race of orange trees and vines ; below, were 
the red roofs of hotels and houses, but they 
seemed hardly noticeable. Beyond, glim- 
mered the wide stretch of shimmering sea, 
with Corsica, a faint line upon the horizon. 
Old Monaco stood out to the right of us, 
cast into yet greater prominence by the dim- 
ness of the ranges stretching unto Spain. 
To the left was the long jutting promontory 
of Cap Matin, the blue line of Italy near-by. 
Behind us rose the spur-like Alpes. 

Were not rooms in this quaint little 
" Maison Masson" infinitely preferable to 
what might be obtained in a spacious hotel? 
We secured them with difficulty and after 
much coaxing, for they were not usually 
let for a short period. Mine, with a 
tiny kitchen attached, was to cost seven 
francs a week. Comrade's was slightly 
cheaper. " Why, our money will last for- 
ever!" we laughed. It certainly would, if 
one went to market in the mornings, as do 
the French, and utilised the tiny kitchen, but 
not when restaurant meals must be paid for. 



160 How to Visit Europe 

Prices in that direction are somewhat high. 
One to one franc fifty for breakfast, two 
fifty to three for dejeuner, four to ten for 
dinner — and we resolved to test the handi- 
work of every chef in the place. 

I have said that Monte Carlo is a place 
where you can spend as little as you like. 
Living in rooms ten dollars a week could be 
made to cover all expenses easily, seven or 
even five would suffice were strict economy 
enforced. Six times as much could be spent 
with as little trouble. 

The first week of our stay we could hardly 
tear ourselves from the tiny principality. 
The second week we rambled further afield, 
climbing twice to La Turbie once on foot 
along the mountain stair-like path, a second 
time by means of the " Cremaillere," then 
rambled on to the deserted monastery 
of Laghet. This, until the order of ex- 
pulsion, was a miracle shrine to which 
thousands came each year. Another day 
saw us in that interesting old town Villa- 
franca, a second in eyrie-like Eze, a third 



On Next to Nothing i6ii 

at Grasse, famous for roses and perfume. 
One of the most memorable of all our ex- 
cursions was to the little villages of Peille 
and Peillon, set, as so many of these villages 
are (to safeguard them from the attacks 
of pirates) on what seem almost inacces- 
sible peaks. Peillon is entered through a 
veritable gorge. We picniced on a flat 
plateau above a gurgling stream, and 
dreamed of the days when raiding Algerian 
pirates had made the choice of such spots 
necessary for the homes of those peaceably 
inclined. Had pirates met death at the 
drawbridge-like entrance under the huge 
rock? Oh, why cannot mountains speak! 
Peille is set yet higher, standing 2,000 feet 
above sea level, with a mountain towering 
behind it for yet another 2,000. We scaled 
these heights often in our too brief stay upon 
the Riviera and, so splendid is the air, that 
we never grew tired. Stand on Mount 
Aguille right behind Monte Carlo and you 
seem to have reached the edge of the world. 
Beneath, is a sheer wall-like drop into the 



1 62 How to Visit Europe 

depths of a valley. Look behind you, and 
there are range and range of mountains 
(many shaded, according to the hour) 
stretching out towards Switzerland. The 
strange barrenness but adds to the weird 
effect 

Another day that will live long in my 
memory is one when after a scramble and a 
morning swim, we took books and flung our- 
selves down under the pines on the rosemary 
bushes and aromatic herbs that grow so 
thickly upon Cap Matin. 

One of our most curious experiences came 
upon us entirely unexpectedly. We had 
climbed to Rocquebruna and its quaintness 
had captivated us; neither camera nor pencil 
seemed to do justice to the narrow alley-like 
streets, bound together by archways (on the 
principle that union is strength) because in 
the past earthquakes were of frequent occur- 
ence. Tradition has it that Rocquebruna, like 
her sister villages, was originally located up- 
on the summit of the mountain and that her 
present comparatively lowly position is due 



On Next to Nothing 163 

to the effects of one of these disturbances. 
Be that as it may, our visit was made on a 
very hot day and we entered the church to 
rest. Suddenly, the tramp of armed men 
sounded, the great doors were burst open 
and priests came hastily forward as some 
soldiers, with a prisoner bearing a heavy 
cross in their midst burst into the tranquillity. 
We had all unknowingly stumbled upon a 
passion play. Perhaps, if we had come pur- 
posely, we should have seen the tawdriness 
and ineffectiveness unavoidable in such a 
situation. As it was, when we left the 
church it was in silence and with bent heads. 
• . • • • 

" How can people stay at Nice when they 
could live at Monte Carlo?" Comrade and 
I asked each other on returning from a 
shopping excursion in the larger city. We 
brought with us memories of fine buildings 
and great hotels, a splendid promenade 
with picturesque casinos on piers, but to us, 
Nice was a city destitute of charm. Nice is 
only for those who wish to spend their days 



164 How to Visit Europe 

in carriages. " Mentone is worth a thou- 
sand of it," declared Comrade, and I sud- 
denly remembered that I had omitted all 
mention of the resort to which throng the 
thousands seeking health. We had gone to 
it by train, had been delighted by the well 
kept English and American quarter, and en- 
chanted by the glorious views to be obtained 
up the valley of the Gorbio. A dozen 
photographs had proved inadequate to por- 
tray the quaintness of the " old town " 
clustering in a heterogeneous mass near the 
church which stands out as a thing so won- 
derful, probably on account of the extreme 
poverty of its surroundings. " Can there 
be," we asked as we stood in the tiny ceme- 
tery, " a burial ground as beautiful in any 
other place?" Beneath it, were red roofed 
houses and orange groves, the golden fruit 
already ripening upon the trees, behind it, 
rose the mountains, before, the glorious 
sparkling sea. On this same day of ex- 
ploration we had walked to Italy — yea, 
walked/ Does it not sound a feat? But 



On Next to Nothing 165 

it is not far by the Via Corniche built by the 
great Napoleon. It is a curious sensation 
to stand upon the bridge across the silent 
gorge and to feel that here two countries 
meet. Gruesome tales are told of this 
Pont St. Louis. It is said that on occas- 
ions Monte Carlo's victims choose it as the 
site of their departure from this world, and 
that the governments of Italy and France 
have nearly severed diplomatic relations 
over discussions as to which was responsible 
for the burials when the bodies lay with the 
heads in one country and the feet in an- 
other ! 

• • • • • 

And now the days have fled — our time 
is up. We were torn two ways as to 
whether we should not grant another week 
to this wondrous Riviera and for its sake 
give up the further week in Paris, but the 
mail decided us. What hosts of " last 
commissions " friends do send! And so 
we packed regretfully, then sallied forth for 
one last glorious day in Italy. We had in- 



1 66 How to Visit Europe 

tended to go as far as San Remo or 
Bordigera, but the frontier town of Ven- 
timlglia caught us. Its memory is yet keen 
within me. Italian types, wonder-faced 
children, picturesque brigandish soldiers 
with cascades of shimmering cocks feathers 
falling over their broad shoulders, green 
shuttered villas, speaking of wealth, the 
squalor of the native Italian section and the 
wonder of that magnificent view up the val- 
ley of the Royale. 

And now the train speeds! We look 
upward to catch a last fleeting glimpse of 
the grinning devils of the Casino .... and 
are whirled into a tunnel. In truth we are 
homeward bound. 

MEMORANDUM OF TOTAL EXPENSE 

Previously spent in Europe, including fare from 

port of embarkation $214.58 

Second half of return ticket 38.00 

$252.58 

RIVIERA LIVING EXPENSES I 

Room, fifteen nights $ 3-50 



On Next to Nothing 167 

Dinners, dejeuners and breakfasts (with some 
extravagant meals and a few coffees on the 
Terrace) 20.00 

Tips, fares for side excursions and general 
incidentals 4.65 

$ 28.15 

Total $28073 

In hand for emergencies on the homeward way. .$ 19.27 

So, for well under our $300 apiece, we 
have had a hundred and nine glorious days ! 
— The average cost of each, two dollars and 
eighty-two cents ! 



CHAPTER XVII 

An Unexpected Windfall— Wild Desires, Much Dis- 
cussion of Many Possibilities and a Supplementary 
"Personally Conducted" Cruise— Hints as to 
Clothes Requisite for a Comfortable Journey to 
the Land of the Midnight Sun — Arrival at Nor- 
way. 

Out of the skies it seemed to have dropped! 

Comrade and I contemplated the letter in 
amazement. A hundred dollars! A hun- 
dred dollars each and extended leave of ab- 
sence. Where could not twenty pounds 
carry us in this wonderful, economical 
Europe? 

Silently we deserted our half-packed 
trunks and sallied forth to ransack the coun- 
ters of the various tourist agencies. 

A hundred dollars! There was but one 
way to spend it, and that way the way of 
travel. Then whither should we go? 
What new window should we open in our 
wonder gallery of impressions? 

" Italy? " said Comrade faintly, as we 
168 



On Next to Nothing 169 

ensconced ourselves at one of " Slater's " 
tables and mechanically ordered "mock 
turtle soup " at fourpence a plate. 

I gasped — then shook my head. We had 
had one brief glimpse of Italy, and instan- 
taneous though that had been, it had proved 
that that land of poets and dreamers could 
not be scampered through in a fortnight. 
Some day we would come again, then Italy 
should have her due; we would devote to 
her a whole European holiday, not the last 
crowded fleeting days alone. 

Which of us made the next suggestion? 
Who knows? Yet suddenly we both found 
ourselves breathlessly contemplating the 
idea of Norway. 

Could we do it? But yes! Adepts in 
the manipulation of guide books and time 
tables we turned them over, scanning en- 
ticing advertisements, pouncing upon facts 
of time and figure, casting that aside for 
this reason, this, for that, until the field of 
selection was narrowed and possible to con- 
template as a whole. 



170 How to Visit Europe 

Should we " do " Norway as we had 
"done" other places? Land in it, and 
conquer it by the aid of national " cute- 
ness," or should we go " personally con- 
ducted?" 

Time was short, money certain, language, 
coinage and customs, unknown. We looked 
at one another and hesitated. Should we go 
by land or water? 

" Water," so Comrade decided, dim re- 
membrances of long past, vague rapturings, 
of friends influencing her mind. And so it 
fell about that we, taking all on trust, paid 
out our dollar bills in exchange for tickets in 
the hitherto scorned band of those who travel 
" personally conducted." But unless one is 
rich enough to charter an entire yacht there 
seems no other way to see the Norwegian 
Fjords. . . . 

The wonder of Norway has swamped all 
memory of the reason why we descended upon 
11 The Viking," but I remember vaguely that 
it was a combination of convenience of dates 
and economy of cash. Under " Polytech- 



On Next to Nothing 171 

nic " guidance we were promised most for 
our money. 

A thirteen day " Poly " cruise can be had 
for nine guineas, excursions cost £2.10 in ad- 
dition. Then the fare to Grimbsy must be 
considered, incidental charges, tips, steamer 
chair hire, etc. So we calculated, with knitted 
brows, as we made our way along the 
crowded London streets to the Polytechnic 
headquarters. 

Yes, it was as we had read, except for the 
fact that all the nine guinea berths were 
taken. Some had been booked a year in ad- 
vance ! 

We compromised the matter by committing 
the extravagance of selecting the best cabin 
yet unsold upon the upper deck, and almost 
danced home to pack with the tickets in our 
pockets. We sailed in three days' time. 

What we took with us matters little. 
What we should have taken is of the utter- 
most importance. 

It sounds rather prosaic to say "What 
shall I wear? " the moment such a tour is 



172 How to Visit Europe 

mooted, but after all, much of the comfort 
of the cruise depends upon one's clothes. 

The guide books say: " similar clothing to 
that worn in England is all that is necessary " 
and merely add " a mackintosh is advisable." 
How maddeningly indefinite! Now for ex- 
actness and truth. 

Take with you a complete set of light 
weight summer clothing, for in the Nor- 
wegian valleys the heat is excessive, but take 
also the thickest of thick things, an overcoat 
and a rug that will defy the keenest blast, and 
a mackintosh of such quality that five hours 
beneath a water spout will not affect it. 
With these things, a stout pair of boots, 
leggings, or waterproof boots to the knee, 
a pair of dancing slippers, a tarpaulin hat, 
cap that will not blow off, straw head gear 
of a kind, shady, but not too good, an um- 
brella and an alpine stock, you will be thor- 
oughly comfortable in Norway. 

The drives are cold, the walks hot. The 
valleys are sheltered, the mountain passes 
exposed, and it is always either very sunny, 



On Next to Nothing 173 

or raining precipitately. A Norwegian 
tour is not one upon which you can go com- 
fortably, if scantily equipped. 

Above all, if you are a camera fiend you 
will want untold dollars worth of plates or 
films. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

First Glimpses of Norwegian Wonders — The 
Buken Fjord — The Bondhus Glacier — Cliffs, 
Mountains and Lakes — Our Anchorage at Sun- 
dal — A Norwegian Flower Decked Glen — The 
Foglefond — One of the Finest Snow Fields in 
Europe— Merry Gatherings about the Gypsy Fire 
— Walks and Scrambles. 

The North Sea has rather a dread reputa- 
tion and it must be crossed ere Norwegian 
shores are reached. But if it can roar like 
a lion, it must also be remembered that some 
times these Northern waters are glass-like 
in their placidity. Then too, the hours pass 
swiftly. Leave Grimbsy at night and two 
thirds of the journey will be spent in sleep. 
Whatsoever may have to be endured in the 
brief waking hours even the weakest will de- 
clare to have been well " worth while " 
when Norway is sighted. 

As for more fortunate individuals they 
rejoice in the brine in the air, watch for a 
174 



On Next to Nothing 175 

porpoise or a whale, envy the flying sea- 
gulls, explore the ship, sound the depths of 
their fellow passengers — and listen eagerly 
for the bugle that summons all to meals 1 

Then comes Norway I First a dim coast 
line across the smooth waters of the Buken 
Fjord, later, as the river-like waterways 
narrow, the mountains take shape and rise 
clear from the morning haze. Some are 
bare, jagged, ponderous cliffs, others are 
mountains, perpendicular to the water's 
edge and blocked with foliage of varying 
shades, here, the deepest, darkest green, 
there a vivid patch of emerald, broken per- 
haps by a huge boulder. And everywhere 
there are waterfalls. Some leaping and 
spreading, veritable cascades, white with 
spray, (like the magnificent Furebergfos) 
others, snake-like in their sinuosity, twisting, 
turning, curving, here lost to view down a 
deep cleft, there springing from a great 
crag, its rain swept top, gleaming silvery and 
worn smooth by running waters. 

For the most part, these beautiful moun- 



\iy6 How to Visit Europe 

tains raising their crests two to three thou- 
sand feet above the fjords, are given over 
to the hardy Norwegian sheep or goats, but 
tiny " hamlets " of three to five houses oc- 
casionally cluster on habitable ledges within 
reach of the waters. 

The fjords are the highways, and the tini- 
est children seem capable of managing a 
boat. It is a pretty sight to see three or 
four little maidens, ranging in age from 
seven to ten or eleven, clad in the pictures- 
que Norwegian costume, rowing happily up 
some sun-lit fjord to pay a visit or go to 
church. 

Higher and higher seem the mountains in 
their veil of mist and cloud as the Buken 
Fjord gives place to the Mauranger, and the 
yacht goes steadily on, seagulls swirling 
around us, vividly white against a back- 
ground of mountain, cliff and water. 

Sundal, where we anchored, proved a 
larger village than any we had seen yet. It 
lies on, what is, for Norway, a flat stretch 
of land in an avalanche racked valley, down 



On Next to Nothing 177 

which rushes a torrent of troubled waters. 
On either side of the village rise the moun- 
tains, beyond, above the picturesque gather- 
ing of houses, where the mountains divide, 
rears the Bondhus Glacier — a white, frozen 
avalanche flung out in bold relief by the en- 
circling hills. So weirdly deceptive is the 
atmosphere that it looks some half mile dis- 
tant while it is in truth, more than ten times 
as far. It can only be reached after a 
merry combination of walk, scramble, climb 
and finally a row across the Bondhus Lake, 
which is a full mile and a half long, and al- 
most unfathomably deep. 

For the first two and a half to three miles 
the path is beside a wide ravine, down which, 
shut in by the mountains, flows a river 
leaping through mysterious channels, foam- 
ing, gurgling, raging, boiling, laughing and 
eddying all within the space of a few short 
yards. The rocks above the waters are 
veritably cushioned with moss and lichen; 
they are soft and springy to the touch. 
Amid them, near the tumbling, roaring, 



178 How to Visit Europe 

rushing waters, grow delicate ferns, shel- 
tered from the cold winds of the snow fields, 
by huge boulders which must have been 
hurled from above by some Titanic force 
in prehistoric ages. 

It gives an extraordinary sense of peace 
among violence to see the tall pink fox 
gloves springing up from a rough, nature- 
hewn, moss covered rock, fragile blue bells 
quivering on their slender stems above the 
swirling waters, and everywhere the won- 
derful mosses — varying shades of green, 
yellow, brown and even pink — till each dell 
looks like fairy land, planted with spraying, 
shimmering ferns, and watered by a thousand 
gurgling rivulets. Their ripple is audible 
even through the roar of the waters which 
hardly ever ceases in Norway. 

Then, suddenly, a wide flung natural bar- 
rier of rock curbs the torrent, and, with dra- 
matic suddenness the restless fever and tur- 
moil of it ceases. We emerge from the 
fairyland, scramble among barren crags, eye 
and hand and foot in league to find safe pas- 



On Next to Nothing 179 

sage, and pause beside a still green lake, so 
smooth and so aloof from the foaming 
waters beneath that the effect is positively 
startling. Across it gleams the Glacier and 
above this stretches again the long white arm 
of the Foglefond — one of the finest snow- 
fields in Europe, a 40 by 9 mile stretch I 
Even the lightest chatterers fell silent and 
checked their incipient flirtations as the 
rowers plied their oars and we looked back 
towards the blue haze of the mountains with 
the grey-green fjord beyond, then forward 
to the Glacier, weird in its immovability, 
azure in the depth of the blueness of the 
great crevices. It is almost as if a tremend- 
ous, fantastic light glowed beneath the great 
frozen mass I 

It was as though a mighty river had leapt 
downward from the impregnable fastness 
of the mountains to be caught in the fierce 
grip of the Great Ice King and so stilled into 
everlasting silence. 

Then came the gay gathering about a 
gypsy fire to drink coffee prepared by the 



180 How to Visit Europe 

advance guard of white capped officials, the 
pocketing of ginger-nuts to beguile the 
homeward route, the grouping of new found 
friends, and the glorious walk through a 
rose flecked valley to a merry evening of 
music and song, and a tranquil sail to a 
fresh wonder spot. So our precious days 
fled by. As for the nights they do not 
seem to count in Norway and were it not 
for the insistent " bells " one might well for- 
get it were ever more than six o'clock. 
Comrade and I took snap shots till midnight 
was approaching! 



CHAPTER XIX 

Down the Fjords — Vik — The Hardanger — Norwe- 
gian Ravines — An Introduction to Stolljaerres — A 
Road Blasted from the Living Rock— Sombreness 
of the Scenery — Oppressive Sense of Tragedy — The 
Marvel of the Voringfos Waterfall, with its 
Stupendous Leap. 

Vik (pronounced Vek) is on the Eidefjord 
and offers an excellent base from which to 
start on one of the best of all the wonderful 
excursions in Norway. 

In itself Vik is fascinating on account of 
its oddness and general aloofness from the 
tourist world. It is just a tiny collection of 
farmhouses with a shop or two among them, 
microscopic " general stores " providing 
for the moderate wants of a moderate 
people. There is absolutely no catering to 
the whims of visitors except the displaying 
of a few dozen picture postcards and a 
scant score of carved wooden articles in a 
181 



1 82 How to Visit Europe 

tiny shed perhaps six feet square. For the 
rest Vik seems unaware of its attractions. 

The people, however, are friendliness it- 
self and open wide the doors of their houses. 
They seem willing to escort you into their 
most private apartments and are proud to 
display every article of furniture they 
possess, from the baby's exquisitely carved 
cradle, and the inevitable spinning wheel, to 
the pots and pans in which the dinner is 
being cooked. Sometimes the furniture is 
well worth inspection and the escritoires and 
bridal chests should be worth a considerable 
amount could they be transported from 
these immaculately clean little farmhouses, 
(built on the edge of inaccessible cliffs at the 
head of winding mysterious fjords) and set 
down in a fashionable west-end shop. 

The route to Vik is intricate, for the 
Eidefjord is the easternmost branch of 
the Hardanger Fjord and is enclosed by pre- 
cipitous rocks. One icegirt mountain 
towers to the north full 6,000 feet high, and 
down its jagged side, from beneath" its snowy 



On Next to Nothing 183 

cap, innumerable waterfalls run and leap; 
some merely murmur, some ripple and 
laugh, but here and there one mighty stream 
leaps downward, adding its roar to the 
softer sounds — there is no silence in Nor- 
way. 

After an hour or so spent in exploration 
of Vik itself and a short walk to the little 
white church which stands out on the mora- 
ine separating fjord from lake, the stoll- 
jaerres will have come in from every nearby 
village and farm and stand in waiting or- 
der, a long thin line disappearing round cliffs 
and appearing again and yet again on the 
heights forward, stretching out like an at- 
tenuated caravan. We mount, two and 
two, and start trotting briskly down hill, 
walking on the level and crawling up eleva- 
tions as is the custom with Norwegian 
ponies. The way is through a ravine, down 
which races a wide river broken again and 
again by huge boulders among which the 
pent-up waters swirl and leap, adding to 
stress of their battle to the roar of water- 



184 How to Visit Europe 

falls. Above, tower range on range of 
mountains, their tops now revealed, now 
hidden by drifting clouds and mist till it is 
hard to tell where the sky line begins. Be- 
neath us, below the narrow roadway, irregu- 
larly fenced with small rocks, flows the 
maelstrom of waters. Here and there, be- 
neath the shelter of some boulder, an in- 
secure looking cage is built out into the tor- 
rent to shelter some adventurous fisher- 
man. The grandeur of the ensemble is 
startling. The other stolljaerres are merci- 
fully hidden from view, there is nothing to 
disturb the awe-inspiring nature of the scene 
when the roar of waters is suddenly dimmed 
and you pass through a tunnelled passage to 
emerge upon a passive lake, from the sides 
of which bare, precipitous, snow streaked 
mountains, tower upward for 6,000 feet and 
more. The storm and stress are gone with 
the moss covered rocks, the flower-carpeted 
dells cleft in the mountains — this is the 
" silence of the everlasting hills." 

For over four miles the road is cut from 



On Next to Nothing 185 

the living rock, and nature has done her ut- 
most to hide the work of the hand of man. 
The marks of the drill, are waterspouts, the 
blasted rocks are fringed with fern, even 
trees spring from the ledges, but they 
can do little to soften the gleaming water- 
swept perpendicular cliffs. 

As the drive continues the wildness in- 
creases, till the sense of sombreness and 
tragedy — the vastness of it all — is weightily 
oppressive. Even the lightest most thought- 
less chatterer falls silent as the bot- 
tomless, tranquil lake, gives place to 
massed rocks, yet more swirling torrents, 
iand higher natural barricades, till at last the 
toiling ponies stop at the foot of a dark 
gorge. Up this, led always by white capped 
guides,we pedestrians plunge and scramble, 
drawn onward by the roar of the Voringfos 
in the distance. Louder and louder it 
sounds — surely it must be yonder, round 
that lichen-coated boulder by which a man is 
creeping finding cautious foothold aided by 
his alpenstock. The point is gained, the roar 



1 86 How to Visit Europe 

is louder but the waterfall is not yet in sight. 
And so the narrow track continues winding 
in and out, now up, now down. Here you 
jump from stone to stone, there creep along 
the slippery trunk of a tree half sunken in 
the morass, here you climb, helped by strong 
hands, there you almost run against your 
will — and everywhere there is water — over- 
head, underfeet, booming before you, rag- 
ing behind — and then — at last the stupend- 
ous Voringfos leaping downward from veiled 
heights in one immense spring of 520 feet! 
Small wonder that it's roar can be heard 
from afar, or that its spray rises in high rain- 
bows from the seething cauldron of mad- 
dened waters, caught in a narrow basin, and 
surrounded on three sides by jagged per- 
pendicular rocks. 

Anywhere such a waterfall would be 
magnificant, but here, at the head of the 
narrow, scarce negotiable gorge, crossed by 
a long, slender, swinging suspension bridge, 
over which but one can pass at a time, the 
general effect is increased a thousandfold 



On Next to Nothing 187 

and few could stand and watch it without 
a vivid realisation of the mighty forces of 
nature and the puniness of man. The whole 
is indescribable. Go ! Go ! Everyone go ! so 
say Comrade and I. 



CHAPTER XX 

A Norwegian Town— Bergen, one of the Surprises 
of Norway — Attraction of the Shops — What to 
Buy — Embroidery Filigree Silver, Carvings, Furs, 
etc. — What to see — The Open-air Fish Market, 
Tower and Church — Then a Thousand Feet 
Climb for a View Inland and Outward to the 
North Sea — The Inner Lead — A Sail Beyond De- 
scription. 

Bergen is one of the surprises of Norway. 
By the time it is reached the dominant im- 
pression of the traveller is, that Norway is 
a land of tiny villages and wonderful scenery. 
It therefore seems quite uncanny, to awake 
(after the usual night's sail) off a flourishing 
town in which are consulates, post and tele- 
graph offices, museums, exhibitions, banks, 
and bandstands ! The first impulse is to shop 
— it is so strange to be able so to do ! The 
second desire is to climb to the top of the 
hills that lie behind Bergen. To realise 
either it is necessary to get ashore, which is 
quickly done for the busy motor boats are 
188 



On Next to Nothing 189 

waiting, but once there, time flies. Boys are 
running about on the quays with plans of 
the town and its environs, ready made 
itineraries, programmes of fascinating " spec- 
tacles, ,, and notices of " Tourist Bazars." 

The town is built on a rocky crescent- 
shaped peninsula which is almost an island 
in effect, the whole is flanked by a range of 
mountains and in itself is a curious mixture 
of the ancient and modern. It is modern in 
the width of the busy streets, its cleanliness 
and activity; the fineness of its main build- 
ings, the splendid theatre and big church; in 
the manner in which it caters to the whims 
of tourists with its attractive shop displays 
of filigree, silver, Hardanger embroidery, 
carved woods and photographs, to say noth- 
ing of the cups, spoons, tankards, Norweg- 
ian knives, models of Viking boats, and 
lovely furs from the sub-polar region, bear 
skins, fox, silver, red, white and blue, eider- 
down, seal, otter and a score more varieties 
rarely seen in other lands. It is ancient in 
the oddity of its open-air fishmarket, the 



190 How to Visit Europe 

Haakonshallen (banqueting hall of the 
King) ; Rosenkrantz Tower; remains of 
mediaeval castles; and the old Hanseatic 
quarter down by the German Quay which is 
to-day as it was centuries ago. Other at- 
tractions are the churches, the big modern 
one in the heart of Bergen and the Stave- 
kirke at Fantoft a little further out, a tiny 
building of the 12th century which has been 
brought from the Sogne district and here 
reconstructed and somehow looks as if it 
would be more in character in China. 

Suddenly, shops and streets and hurrying 
people become oppressive after the silence 
of the mountains and the tranquil beauty of 
the fjords. Assuredly the iooo foot climb 
to the Fl0fjeldet must be undertaken and 
Bergen viewed from above. By the magic of 
the word " Fl0ie" the way is readily found, 
and we start up, now by steps and now by 
winding track, and at every yard stop to ex- 
claim that here is the place for a photograph; 
nowhere can the view be more beautiful! 
Plates and films dwindle fast and the " best 



On Next to Nothing 191 

view of all," has not been taken, for it is 
higher and yet higher. At last, at the so- 
called top, a little restaurant is reached, and 
here all save the most energetic stop to de- 
mand lemonade, ginger ale or lager beer, 
anything and everything to check the thirst 
produced by the mountain climb in the clear 
Norwegian air and bright sunlight. What 
a restaurant it is too, with its skin-hung, 
flag-decked walls and spacious vaulted roof, 
with pretty Norse girls in the national cos- 
tume running hither and thither to attend to 
the customers, and posing to be photographed 
by those of the camera band who are pos- 
sessed of sufficient audacity to ask the fav- 
our — and have sufficient plates left after 
photographing the magnificent panoramic 
view of Bergen, where fjord beyond fjord 
stretches away as far as the eye can 
reach, until checked by the faint blue line of 
the distant North Sea. Towards the moun- 
tains, a veritable chain of lakes can be seen 
each on a perceptibly higher level than the 
last and of a different tone. 



192 How to Visit Europe 

But even after this, the glory of the Ber- 
gen part of the tour is not yet over, for the 
sail down the Hardanger Fjord and through 
the Inner Lead, is yet to come. The range 
of mountains on either side of the Hardanger 
rise to 3,000 and 4,000 feet, and on the 
plateaux above them the immense Foglefond 
can be seen, glittering in the sunlight, and 
flinging long white arms down into the cleft 
valleys. In these nestle tiny houses beneath 
earthen barricades, erected in the belief that 
when an avalanche descended it would strike 
the barricades and lean over them, across 
the roofs. Occasionally they do, but more 
often the small houses are engulfed and 
and buried beneath the debris. 

Sometimes the fjord stretches two good 
miles across, sometimes the frowning barren 
cliffs are scarce two hundred yards apart, 
but gradually they give place to lower, tree 
covered, slopes, and then to a fringe of little 
islets sheltering the waters of the Inner Lead 
from the turbulent waves of the Northern 
Ocean. Here and there a light gleams out 



On Next to Nothing 193 

from some small isolated lighthouse, and 
points the way down one of the innumerable 
fjords that open out on every side, like roads 
from a highway, or wander in intricate 
turns between high ranges of mountains 
topped by clouds, among which play many 
hued rainbows. 

The only sign of life is given by the sud- 
den flights of sea-gulls that swoop silently 
out from the shadow of some green or 
purple isle, giving an added touch to the 
marvellous scene where the full beauty of 
the world seems revealed, while the pain 
and cruelty of life is for the moment 
veiled — It is all primitive, natural, untouched 
by man, uninhabited by human beings with 
their weighty burden of sorrow and pain. 
The waters seem without motion, now they 
are green, now gold in the changing light; 
now silver with rose flecked rocks reflected 
from the sky above. One side of the yacht 
is in sunlight, the other in the radiance of 
the moon, for it is close on midnight. . . . 



CHAPTER XXI 

Scenes on the Way— National Costumes of the 
Girls— A Drive Along the Margin of the Sandven 
Lake — The Twin Waterfalls of the Lotefos and 
Skaarsfos — Aalsund Dutch-like and Modern — 
Molde — A Norwegian Health Resort. 

Considering how very much alike all Nor- 
way is, in the widest sense of the word, the 
amount of variety given on the various tours 
is surprising. 

The whole country seems to have been 
explored by those with eyes to see, and ex- 
cursions arranged in such order that the 
maximum of effect is produced. To those 
who have not been, each fjord town may 
sound much like another; every climb up 
the encircling alps differs little from that pre- 
vious to it, but to those who have heen } each 
stands out a thing apart. Take the day 
spent in the Voringfos district, for instance, 
where the sombre impressiveness of the 
194 



On Next to Nothing 195 

scenery is such that it makes you feel as 
though the glamour had been ruthlessly torn 
from life leaving the underlying intolerable 
tragedy of reality exposed. Then, in 
sharp vivid contrast comes the almost divine 
beauty of the Inner Lead, followed by a 
morning in a smiling, fertile valley, where 
surely naught but the happiest and most 
peaceful of lives can be led! From Odda 
the winding road runs beside a chain of lakes 
each divided from the other by natural 
barricades of rocks over which the waters 
gurgle and laugh. Homesteads nestle where 
they can, here in groups forming a village, 
there alone, perhaps on a tiny green island 
amid a lake or fast flowing river. And 
everywhere there are flowers. They grow 
even on the roofs of the farmhouses, spring- 
ing up beneath the shelter of delicate birch 
trees, which occasionally find nourishment 
in the sodded turf above the door, while 
mountain geraniums, violets, pansies and the 
swaying foxglove and meadowsweet, flourish 
between velvet-cushioned, fern-fringed rocks, 



196 How to Visit Europe 

Tiny wild strawberries shelter themselves 
beneath huge boulders and ripen in generous 
profusion. 

The general effect of the whole wonderful 
picture is heightened when here and there, 
amid the green of birch and pine, there 
gleam the scarlet bodies of fair Norse 
girls in national dress, and their clear voices 
call to one another as they toss the hay upon 
" horses " where it is left to dry looking like 
a grass fence. It is curious to see these 
fences standing in straight rows across 
some boulder-strewn, precipitous, hill-side, 
or on an island hardly big enough to 
afford foothold to a fair-sized picnic 
party; for no fertile space is neglected 
in Norway though the majority of farmers 
seem to bring the reaped grass to the main- 
land to dry. It is pretty to see it being 
tossed upon an old Norse boat when 
gathered from a tiny islet above some rapids. 

In the short Northern summer the val- 
leys are very warm, but even on the hottest 
days perpetual puffs of fresh, pure, snow- 



On Next to Nothing 197 

fragrant air are caught from the clefts in the 
sheltering mountains, where, beneath the icy 
barrier of some glacier, a group of small 
houses can be seen. 

Such is the drive from Odda along the 
margin of the Sandven Lake across which 
gleams the white Buarbrae Glacier, another 
of the wide flung arms of the mighty Fogle- 
fond which tops the mountain range. Ten 
miles from the landing stage the spray- 
drenched bridge is reached that crosses the 
mingled waters of the Lotefos and Skaarsfos, 
twin waterfalls, which, starting as one, arc 
divided in the middle of their downward 
course by a huge nose-like boulder, and meet 
at the bottom in a veritable whirlpool of 
water and foam. Across the narrow valley 
leaps yet another waterfall, the joyous 
Espelanfos, its origin hidden in the clouds. 

Then after this morning of romance come 
Aalsund and Molde in quick succession, and 
they again are contrasts. 

Aalsund is one of the towns which seem 
out of place in Norway. But this is owing 



198 How to Visit Europe 

to the fact that it was totally destroyed by 
fire some five years ago and has been rebuilt 
in brick and stone under Government super- 
vision. The result is, that it is Dutch-like 
in its practicability, besides being painfully 
modern. However, it affords scope for 
shopping to those not afforded sufficient 
opportunity in the flying hours spent in 
Bergen. For others, there is the view from 
Aalsundsaxla some 600 feet up it is almost 
the most magnificent of the varied pan- 
oramas obtainable anywhere. Aalsund is 
the commercial centre of this fishing-bank 
region, and lies at the mouth of a fjord on 
the edge of the North Sea, more open 
than any other fjord town on the west coast. 
Looking from the hills above it, one sees 
innumerable waterways down which ply busy 
little boats, sheltered from the sea by moun- 
tain ranges and chains of islands. Gazing 
straight ahead, instead of to right and left 
and inland, there is the sea in its blue-grey 
turbulence; the radiant sun makes all aglit- 
ter and flings out in bold relief the cleft sides 



On Next to Nothing 199 

and sharp-cut fissures in every green hill and 
purple mountain. 

After Aalsund, and a glorious sail, comes 
Molde, and here again is contrast. The sense 
of rush and push is gone for Molde is a 
health resort to which few but rich Nor- 
wegians wend their way. Curiously 
enough, though the little place lies three de- 
grees north of St. Petersburg, one of its 
most striking characteristics in the luxuriant 
growth about it. It is spoken of as " The 
City of Roses " and they are everywhere, on 
the walls, in the gardens, climbing up trees 
and around the windows of the pretty villas. 
Molde offers no sign of the storm and stress 
of life as fought with the elements. The 
houses are peaceful happy homes clustering 
about a wooden cathedral which is a picture 
in itself; its dark red wooden walls and spire 
outlined against its background of tranquil 
hills. Again there are heights to climb, rose 
tinted water and chains of islets to attract the 
eye — and a tiny silver lake lying inland amid 
heather covered hills, a rippling brook gur- 



200 How to Visit Europe 

gling through natural woods, and white fluff 
dropping from the straight, tall, cotton trees 
to be caught up by sleepy birds flying nest- 
wards. 

The impression of ruthlessness and tor- 
ture given by the wild, stupendous heights 
and barren cliffs is gone. How wild imagin- 
ings are ! Here all is tranquil — Nature 
rests and smiles! To-night we can join the 
dancers in the salon down below. 



CHAPTER XXII 

The Village of Naes— The Valley of the Witches 
and the romsdalhorn — down the wonderful 
Geiranger Fjord. 

The impression of smiling nature gathered 
at Molde is well sustained when Naes is 
reached, its narrow, nose-Ike promontory 
runs far out into the still Romsdal Fjord in 
a most picturesque and effective manner. 

First, for the sake of contrast, should come 
the exploration of the microscopic collection 
of houses and the couple of shops which com- 
pose the village. Then a climb up the steep 
cliffs to gather wild strawberries, ferns and 
orchids; then a walk along the side of the 
fjord, through fields of high, waving, 
meadow-sweet, blue bells, butter cups, laven- 
der scabius and high up-standing, star-like 
daisies, till the flying hours send us back to 
find stolljaerres and start on the leisurely 
drive through the valley of the Ravma. We 

201 



202 How to Visit Europe 

pass the towering Troldtinder — (" Witch 
Pinnacles"), raising their peaks 6,000 feet 
and more, the Mjoilnir, known as " the steep- 
est mountain in Europe, and see the sharp 
outline of the Romsdalhorn reflected in the 
pent waters of the Rauma before it again 
rushes on its way through groves of birch, 
pine and ash, past tiny villages. And so we 
go onward to the posting station of Horg- 
heim. 

This little place consists solely of a small 
inn-like house with its tables apparently per- 
petually spread with the usual Norwegian 
edibles, smoked beef and jerked reindeer 
sandwiches, biscuits, cheese in enormous 
variety, and hot coffee. It is built close be- 
neath a towering mountain range, and water- 
falls seem almost to play upon its roof! 
Before it, is a broad stretch of the Rauma, 
hidden from immediate view by fields of 
waving grain and a ridge of drooping wil- 
lows. In the immediate vicinity, too, there 
is a curious snow grotto — a low lying patch 
of whiteness hollowed underneath as much 



On Next to Nothing 203 

by the action of the serpent-like waterfall 
playing on it from the heights above, as by 
its own latent warmth. 

Again, as we drive along the curving road, 
the clouds dip down into the valley, now con- 
cealing, now suddenly lifting to display the 
high, weird outlines. Sometimes the sun 
strikes on the jagged cliffs above the clouds, 
sometimes a laden mass of storm-laden 
cloud obscures all ; but in the low lying valley 
itself there is peace and fertility, and, for 
Norway, abundance. 

Perhaps because of this, and because the 
dominant note of the scenery is park-like, 
Naes, even taking into account the grand sur- 
rounding valleys, does not seem typically 
Norwegian. The short stoppage here is an in- 
terlude, the real Norwegian tour continues 
when once again the yacht is under way and 
drifitng slowly down the marvellous Geir- 
anger. Now it is narrow, now wide, now 
with innumerable openings on every side, 
each showing fresh vistas of loveliness, each 
offering the allurement of the Unknown — 



204 How to Visit Europe 

now a straight way, mountains behind, moun- 
tains before. The turns are so abrupt that 
it seems incredible that a boat should be 
able to pass through the mazings. That 
mountain behind is just on the stern, tre- 
mendous in its close proximity! Yet surely 
another five minutes will bring a mighty 
crash — we must collide with that ahead! 

The horn sounds and marvellous echoes 
are flung back from range after range, it is 
almost as though we were tooting for the 
mountains to recede ! So close are they, and 
so intricate the way, that it is impossible to 
tell whence we came or whither we are 
going. But the tortuous channels widen 
as we brave them, and when we steam 
straight at a mountain, and it towers above, 
weirdly overshadowing in the mist, its snow- 
flecked sides and icy cap looking rose and 
lavender in the late sunlight, it breaks away 
suddenly, and we pass through almost meet- 
ing portals. 

Again, as on the Inner Lead, white sea- 
gulls swoop out from the fastnesses, and the 



On Next to Nothing 205 

few occupants of tiny villages and solitary 
light-houses (in lonely aloofness from the 
world), wave greetings to us as we pass 
slowly onward, seeking yet more wonders. 

It is the awe-inspiring silence that adds to 
the impressiveness of such a scene. On this 
marvellous Geiranger, for instance, the only 
sound is the occasional dull roar of a water- 
fall as it goes leaping downward to join the 
tranquil waters of the clear fjord. Of 
these, one at least will surely live forever in 
the memory, though more for its setting than 
for its individual beauty. This is the Seven 
Sisters, — a silver-grey veil of gleaming waters 
on a sharp, outline of high cliff — a vision 
caught as a sudden sharp turn is made, and 
waterfall and fjord meet in a long perpen- 
dicular line. 

And then, as a climax to the wonderful day 
comes Merok lying straight before us at the 
head of the mountain encircled fjord. It is 
as though it faced upon a lake. The centre- 
piece of the village is of course a water- 
fall and it gurgles from afar, leaping 



206 How to Visit Europe 

downward in foaming white cascades, 
gathering energy as it goes its full 5,000 feet 
till its turbulent stream rushes out in vain 
endeavour to ruffle the imperturbable waters 
of the Geiranger. It almost deadens the 
voices of the singers in the little white oc- 
tagon church, on its tiny level plateau. 
Around this clusters the village with its back- 
ground of foaming fall, tree-clad slopes and 
snow-flecked mountains, their fissured sides 
racked by watercourses. The incredibly 
still fjord with its unfathomable depths girt 
by snow-capped mountain ranges, mirrors 
the whole. 



CHAPTER XXIII 

From Oie to Haugen— On by Yacht to Tosse — Thence 
by stolljaerre — overland to norheimsund, the 
Longest and Most Unforgettable Drive of all — A 
Last View of the Wonderland of Norway — Memo- 
randum of Accounts for Entire Cruise. 

There is little in Oie to forewarn the travel- 
ler that the drive to Haugen will be in any 
way different from those taken on the pre- 
vious days. 

Oie is a village, smaller, if possible, than 
the average Norwegian village. It lies in a 
green valley, backed by towering mountains 
with a snowfield spreading over the plateau 
above them. Before it, as before Merok, 
lies a land-locked fjord, the narrow way ap- 
parently blocked by jagged cliffs. From the 
surrounding heights waterfalls thunder and 
roar, but whence they come it is difficult to 
see, so dense are the veiling clouds. 

As usual, stolljaerres are waiting in long 
207 



208 How to Visit Europe 

caravan-like rows, word of our arrival hav- 
ing spread swiftly. We mount, two by two, 
as is the Norwegian custom, and join in the 
cavalcade as it goes wending its way, now 
on this side of the water, now on that, on 
and on in an interminable line; though, so 
twisting is the road, only two or three stoll- 
jacrres remain in sight at a time, and occas- 
ionally one seems solitary amid the moun- 
tains. Then, suddenly the whole character 
of the scene changes, tree covered hills and 
snow-capped mountains are left behind, flow- 
ing, leaping cascades are forgotten, ferns, 
flowers, mosses, the thousand softenings 
flung over crudities by the changing seasons, 
are gone, and we are amid bare Nature 
bereft of ornament, her naked violence 
boldly exposed. Here, so short a time ago 
as 1908, stood a Norwegian village in a 
fertile valley, turf and flower roofed houses, 
hay-hung fences, fronting on a winding road- 
way along which children ran laughing be- 
side the cavalcade of tourists who throng to 
this wonderland of rivers, mountains, gla- 



On Next to Nothing 209 

ciers, sun and cloud. To-day the erstwhile 
fruitful valley is a lake into which the wind- 
ing road disappears abruptly, its whiteness 
showing beneath the chill waters. The 
flower-decked roofs of the homes alone are 
visible, the rest are completely submerged in 
the lake, which was formed in three May 
days. 

Norway is noted for the appalling sud- 
denness with which such disasters occur. 
Traces of the ruin wrought by avalanches are 
visible in many places, but here, the devasta- 
tion is seen before a beautifying hand has 
covered the rawness. The force of the 
avalanche can best be realised as one looks 
across the valley and sees the tremendous 
natural barricade of far-flung, high-piled 
rocks and boulders, which stretches from side 
to side. To the right, a narrow space has 
been cleared and a new patch of roadway 
built to join what is left of the old. The 
tiny stolljaerres look like flies as they climb 
among the Titanic debris. 

The hurled rocks lie massed high up the 



210 How to Visit Europe 

split mountain side and along the ridge of the 
gulley, and all looks barren until a sudden 
turn reveals luxuriant nature again, when it 
seems almost impossible that ruin can exist 
in such close juxtaposition to plenty. Even 
on the return journey the same sense of un- 
reality, and strange contrast exists when 
comes the sudden turn, and the result of the 
tremendous upheaval is once more plain to 
the eye. The scene leaves its indelible im- 
pression. Having seen it, it is impossible not 
to wonder what the rounding of the next pro- 
jecting boulder may bring into view; while 
the sudden roar of a sliding avalanche some- 
where among the snowfields causes a tense 
pause and an instinctive sense of disaster. 
Somewhere, amid the heights is yet another 
peaceful village being engulfed? 

Haugen itself is insignificant, being merely 
a small refreshment house, but for those 
sufficiently energetic to attempt the climb to 
the snowfield above it, there is any amount 
to do in the scanty time afforded, for dis- 
tance is always deceptive in Norway and 



On Next to Nothing 211 

close as the snow line looks, to reach it means 
an hour's struggle. 

Setting aside the goal, the ascent is well 
worth while. Every yard brings a new 
panorama into view and the main grief is 
that every available make of camera is not 
at hand at once, so many kinds and sizes, 
speeds and shapes seem required to enable 
the camera-fiends to take home all the much 
desired views. 

Then, when the eternal snows are reached, 
there is yet another point to be gained, for 
who that has climbed so far is content but to 
gather the snow anemones that nestle among 
the whiteness, beautiful though they be? 
There is a summit above, and the desire of 
youth to go higher, and see more, is still 
strong. At last the heights are gained, just 
as the tardy sun dips behind the mountains; 
he dyes the waters of the cup-like lake which 
nestles in white solitariness amid the snow 
covered encrusted slopes. 

. . • • • 

And then comes Tosse, the last port of 



212 How to Visit Europe 

call. Tosse, and the magnificent drive across 
the mountains, through the Tokajel and over 
the high pass of Kvamshaug to Norheim- 
sund to rejoin the yacht which thence must 
sail for home. 

Certainly satiety is not yet. Or is it that 
even the most jaded can be stirred again? 
Despite what we have seen the long drive 
from Tosse to Norheimsund seems, for sheer 
grandeur, to be the most marvellous and ex- 
citing of the many we have had in Norway. 

It is one of the few where we are high on 
the mountains, the depths beneath us being 
greater than the heights above: first comes 
a serpentine, curving roadway, up a nar- 
row gorge steadily ascending for eight miles. 
Part of the way it is but a widened ledge of 
a precipice, part is tunnelled through the 
living rock. Sometimes the turns are so 
sharp that it has been found necessary to 
blast window-like apertures to give light. 
Sometimes the edge of the narrow roadway, 
as well as being outlined by boulders, in the 
usual Norwegian way, is girded by iron rails 



On Next to Nothing . 213 

which bind these rocks together, and from 
the stolljaerres it is possible to look sheer 
down the perpendicular side of the gigantic 
cliff to the dark gorge, at the bottom of which 
flows one of the perpetual streams of Nor- 
way. Lake and river and waterfall succeed 
each other as we climb yet higher. Some- 
times the view beneath is blocked by clouds, 
and the heights above are completely con- 
cealed. Sometimes the weird mists lift to 
disclose a silver lake gleaming far below us 
amid rain-swept mountains. The roar of 
a great waterfall thunders above the noise 
of the hoofs of the horses as they trot 
across the bridges spanning the dark ravine. 
The sound increases in volume as we 
near the end of the wondrous drive and 
suddenly the Ofsthusfos comes into view, 
a rising column of thick, soft white 
spray mingling with its waters. It springs 
so far out from the cleft mountain side that 
it is possible to walk behind the tremendous 
downpour. 

The Ofsthusfos is our last Norwegian 



214 How to Visit Europe 

waterfall. A couple of miles further on lies 
Norheimsund amid charming pastoral scen- 
ery in curiously sudden contrast to the majes- 
tic, rugged, ravine, and mountain pass, which 
have made the day's journeying; and there, 
on the smooth blue waters of the fjord lies 
the yacht. . . The Norwegian tour is ended. 
Behind us are the mountains and the snow- 
fields, before us stretch the grey blue waters 
of the North Sea. Close around us the mists 
and driving rain blot out the glittering peaks 
of the Foglefond, the Fjord and the circling 
gulls. . . . 

Norway has gone as if it had been a mere 
dreamland of wonders. 

Yes, we are homeward bound, en route 
to our own far country, the stronger and the 
wiser for our journeyings, in foreign lands. 
The world is so much more vast than we had 
known ! 

There have been strenuous days on moun- 
tains and in valleys, in sunlight, rain and 
snow. Merry nights of dancing and of song, 



On Next to Nothing 215 

to an accompaniment of rippling waters. 
Friendships have been begun — more than 
friendships for some of us! And through 
all we have been guarded, thought for and 
cared for, by a body of stalwart, white-capped 
men. In fair weather and foul weather, they 
have smiled and laughed, making difficult 
ways easier by quick outstretched hands, and 
merry joke, though oftentimes they must 
have been aweary, and the burden of our 
lives and limbs was theirs. Such respon- 
sibility must be heavy, indeed, in the land 
of the Norsemen! 

And the cost of it all? 

MEMORANDUM OF EXPENSE. 



Cruise by S. S. Viking, thirteen days $47.25 

Special cabin fee 15-75 

Railway fare and incidentals such as tips, chair 

hire, etc 7-00 

Excursions 12.50 

$82.50 
In hand 17.50 



MAY 25 1912 



